Member of Putin’s party: ‘United Russia won the elections in America’

President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a "USA Thank You" tour event on Dec. 1, 2016, in Cincinnati. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a "USA Thank You" tour event on Dec. 1, 2016, in Cincinnati.

Russia bets on Trump as gateway to eased sanctions

For the Russian president, relief from crippling sanctions is a gateway to the ultimate goal of establishing Russia as the political and economic equivalent of the United States. And the U.S. president-elect, who extolled Putin's leadership during the campaign and called for a tempered approach to U.S.-Russia relations, may be a conduit to achieving that.

For Russia, Trump presidency offers hope of sanctions relief

Russia's government staunchly denies reports that it tampered in the U.S. election or supported either candidate, but once the results were in, members of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party didn't hold back. "It turns out that United Russia won the elections in America," Viktor Nazarov, the governor of Omsk, Russia, declared in a radio interview.