Vladimir Putin has softened his rhetoric about the United States in an annual speech, expressing a desire to mend ties and work together in Syria once Donald Trump takes office. “We are ready to cooperate with the new American administration,” the Russian president said in his state of the nation address to an assembly of lawmakers and officials. “It’s important to normalise and start to develop our bilateral relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis.”The new special relationship: what does Putin want from Trump? He touched on the traditional topic of corruption and said the ruling United Russia party had a “special responsibility” to represent constituents after winning a constitutional majority in parliament in September. Discussing healthcare, Putin did not mention Russia’s growing HIV epidemic though Thursday was World Aids Day.

Source: The Guardian December 01, 2016 16:22 UTC