Putin congratulates Trump on election win

• Donald Trump won the US presidential election
• Trump on brink of White House triumph, rattles world markets
• Trump says Clinton policy on Syria would lead to World War Three

"Putin expressed hope for joint work to restore Russian-American relations from their state of crisis, and also to address pressing international issues and search for effective responses to challenges concerning global security," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, October 20, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

In his message, the Russian head of state said he was sure a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington, based on the principles of equality and mutual respect, would serve the interests of both countries.

According to many observers, US-Russia relations are now at their lowest point since the Cold War. Putin has repeatedly noted that the worsening of Russia’s relations with the US “was not our choice,” however.

Republican Donald Trump has stunned the world by defeating Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House, ending eight years of Democratic rule.

Projections early on Wednesday showed that Trump clinched victory over Hillary Clinton to become the 45th US president-elect after securing the 270 electoral votes needed to win.