In the wake of the December 14 vote by the Electoral College, which officially confirmed the election of Joseph Biden as the next president of the United States and Kamala Harris as vice-president, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally, and reluctantly, congratulated the U.S. president-elect. In November 2016, Mr. Putin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory; in 2020, he was apparently the last head of state of a major world power to extend the same gesture to Mr. Biden. Mr. Putin sent his congratulations via telegram, expressing hope that Moscow and Washington can work together constructively to solve global problems “despite their differences” (Interfax, December 15).