Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in which he highlighted “serious global and regional challenges” the two countries will face. The letter was released in full my Trump’s transition team on Friday. “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,” Putin wrote in the letter. In response, Trump thanked Putin for the “very nice letter,” adding: “His thoughts are so correct. I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts, and we do not have to travel an alternative path.” Trump has been accused of being too cozy with the Russian leader, who is thought to have ordered cyberattacks on U.S. institutions in order to help Trump get elected. Earlier Friday, Putin said he would “of course” visit the U.S. if Trump invited him.