Vladimir Putin said he would address disputes with the West after an election that saw him return to the Kremlin with a record vote share, as Moscow faces increasing isolation.
International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president, with Donald Trump yet to comment publicly more than 24 hours after the Sunday election, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud.
The Russian president, who has ruled Russia for nearly two decades, took almost 77 percent of the vote.
The poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain along with fresh sanctions from Washington over allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election have isolated Moscow to an extent not seen since the Cold War.
Putin on Monday denied he was driving a new arms race with Washington after he unveiled a range of “invincible” nuclear weapons this month.
“From our side, we will do all we can so that the disputes with our (international) partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means,” he said during a meeting on Monday with the seven other candidates he resoundingly defeated.
“It goes without saying that not everything depends on us — as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all,” he said.
Putin said he would focus on “increasing the well-being of the residents of this country” through investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure during his next term.
