Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory in his first public comment on the U.S. vote, and he praised the president-elect’s courage during the July assassination attempt.

“His behavior at the moment of an attempt on his life left an impression on me. He turned out to be a brave man. He manifested himself in the very correct way, bravely as a man… What Trump has said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least”, - Putin said at an international forum following a speech in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Kremlin earlier welcomed Trump’s claim that he could negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours” but emphasized that it will wait for concrete policy steps.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the US”, Putin said in a question-and-answer session at the conference. As to what he expects from a second Trump administration, Putin said, “I don’t know what will happen now. I have no idea. For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter”.