Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he wasn't ready to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden as the next U.S. head of state.
"We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation," the strongman said on state television.
He appeared to be referring to President Trump's legal challenges to the Nov. 3 vote, which have been fruitless to date.
"We will work with any person who will be given the trust of the American people," Putin said.
"But who will be given this trust? It must either be indicated by political custom when one of the parties recognizes the victory of the other, or the final results of the elections are summed up in a legitimate, legal way," he added.
© Alexei NikolskyRussia's President Vladimir Putin holds off on congratulating President-elect Joe Biden.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin holds off on congratulating President-elect Joe Biden. (Alexei Nikolsky/)
While Biden was widely recognized as the winner of the heated presidential election on Nov. 7, Republicans including Trump are yet to acknowledge his victory.
Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the aim of helping Trump win, according to U.S. intelligence agencies, and Putin's relationship with Trump has been the subject of intense scrutiny for years.
With News Wire Services