Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Putin and the two leaders agreed to work together for North Korea’s denuclearization before an expected summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will congratulate Putin, her spokesman said, adding that close contact with Russia’s leadership is very important to Germany.

In his victory speech, Presiden Putin said Russia doens’t want another arms race and will do whatever it takes to resolve conflicts with other countries through political and diplomatic methods, but demands that other countries respect Russia.