Kremlin shrugs off White House refusal to congratulate Putin

MOSCOW – The Kremlin spokesman says it's no big deal that U.S. President Donald Trump didn't congratulate Vladimir Putin on his re-election as president.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't consider Trump's silence an "unfriendly move." Peskov said maybe Trump's schedule didn't allow it and suggested he might call later.

The White House said Monday that it is "not surprised by the outcome" of Sunday's election, and that no congratulatory call was planned.

With U.S.-Russian relations at a long-time low, Peskov said, "Putin remains open for normalizing relations with our American partners where it is in our interests."

Putin was overwhelming re-elected in Sunday's election for another six-year term, in a vote where his only serious opponent was banned from running.