Putin says Trump 'doesn't need to find new job' as Biden readies to move to White House

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who waited weeks to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden on winning presidential elections, has said on December 17 that outgoing President Donald Trump is “not going to leave the scene”. During his marathon year-end press conference, Putin reportedly said that his US counterpart who is spending the last few days at the White House has no need to find another job. Further, on Russia-US relations, the 68-year-old leader reportedly said that Moscow has become a “hostage to internal politics of US” and expressed hope "to resolve disagreements with the US during Biden's presidency."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "US President Donald Trump doesn't need to find a new job since almost 50 per cent people have voted for him and he is not going to leave the scene."

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Putin on allegations of Russian interference in 2016

As per reports, Putin also called the allegations of Russian interference in 2016 presidential elections in the US and that Moscow helped in Trump’s victory, as “wild conjecture to sour the relationship between the United States and Russia.” While talking to the reporters, Russian President said that nation’s hackers neither helped Trump nor ‘interfered into the internal affairs of this great power’. According to Putin, “These are all hoaxes and pretexts to worsen” the bilateral ties between both the countries and said Moscow ‘presumed’ that the incoming administration understands the present situation.

"It is a pretext not to acknowledge the legitimacy of incumbent President of the United States due to reasons of American internal politics," he said before adding, “We presume that the newly-elected president of the United States understands what is going on. He is an experienced person, both when it comes to internal and foreign politics.”

Meanwhile, Putin also said on December 17 said that he will take the nation-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate ‘Sputnik V’ “when it becomes possible” for people of his age to take it. The 68-year-old leader praised the safety and efficacy of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine but during the same annual end-of-year press conference, he admitted that he had not yet been immunised from the highly infectious disease. Further, he reportedly said, he will be inoculated as per expert advice. 

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