Kremlin declines to comment on election outcome until results final

The Kremlin said on Monday it would wait for the official results of the presidential election before commenting on its outcome, and that it had noted incumbent Donald Trump's announcement of legal challenges related to the vote.

President Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the issue since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the presidency on Saturday, four days after the Nov. 3 election, clearing the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow deemed it was better to wait for the official results before commenting.

Also read: Vladimir Putin's silence on Joe Biden's win foreshadows tense years

Peskov added that Putin had repeatedly said he was ready to work with any leader and that Russia hoped it could establish dialogue with the new adminsitration and find a way to normalise relations.

Moscow's ties with Washington sank to post-Cold War lows in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Biden was serving as vice president under President Barack Obama at the time.