The US Senator, John McCain, criticized Trump for congratulating Putin on his re-election victory, the US Senator said in a statement.

“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future, including the countless Russian patriots who have risked so much to protest and resist Putin's regime,” the statement said.

As reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin won re-election on Sunday, garnering 76.7 percent of the vote.

Observers from the SCO acknowledged that the elections were organized on the principles of openness and transparency. The CIS observer mission stated that the elections were free, legitimate and competitive.