Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory.

Putin spoke at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Thursday.

He said Trump's desire to mend relations with Russia and contribute to ending the crisis in Ukraine is worth attention. He indicated he is ready to talk with Trump.

Putin also expressed his views on Japan-Russia relations.

He referred to bilateral peace treaty negotiations based on a 1956 joint declaration. He said Russia returned to the declaration and resumed talks at the request of the Japanese side, but that Japan suddenly imposed sanctions against Russia.

Putin claimed that Japan's sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine resulted in halting the peace treaty negotiations.

However, Putin also pointed out that cooperation with Japanese companies continues in the energy sector. He said that If Japanese firms want to continue, he would let them.

Putin said Russia is ready to build relations with Japan, calling it a neighbor. He said there have been tragic periods between the two countries in the past but that there have also been some that "we can be proud of."