President-elect Donald Trump is sharing a private Christmas letter to him from Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The letter was addressed to “His Excellency” Donald Trump:
Dear Mr. Trump, Please accept my warmest Christmas and New Year greetings. Serious global and regional challenges, which our countries have to face in recent years, show that the relations between Russia and the U.S. remain an important factor in ensuring stability and security of the modern world. I hope that after you assume the position of the President of the United States of America we will be able – by acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner – to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation in different areas as well as bring our level of collaboration on the international scene to a qualitatively new level. Please accept my sincere wishes to you and your family of sound health, happiness, wellbeing, success and all the best.
Sincerely,
V. Putin
The letter was dated December 15, 2015 and described as an “unofficial translation” of the message from Putin.
“A very nice letter from Vladimir Putin; his thoughts are so correct,” Trump wrote in a statement to reporters. “I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts, and we do not have to travel an alternate path.”