The Kremlin said on Tuesday that is does not consider President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE's failure to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent reelection to be an "unfriendly" act.

"This should not be regarded as an unfriendly step," Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, told reporters, according to the Russian state-run Tass news agency.

"Putin remains open to normalizing relations with our U.S. partners, where it is of interest and crucial," he added.

Peskov said Putin had received congratulatory phone calls from other foreign leaders, and acknowledged that busy schedules may make it difficult for some leaders to make such calls.

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"Some may be unable to make a phone call due to a tight schedule, and others, for a different reason," Peskov said. "There is no reason to make a mountain out of a molehill about anything here."

Putin won another six-year term in office on Sunday, a victory that was largely expected for the Russian leader.

White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters on Monday that Putin's win came as no surprise to U.S. officials, but said that the Trump administration is willing to find areas of mutual cooperation with Moscow.

"We're not surprised by the outcome," he said. "We will work to cultivate the relationship with Russia and we will impose costs when Russia threatens our interests, but we will also look for places to work together when it serves our interests."

Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have soared in recent years, particularly after the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a report made public last year that Moscow sought to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

That election meddling, as well as possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, is the subject of a law enforcement investigation being carried out by special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE.

Also fueling a rise in tensions is the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter with a military-grade nerve agent on British soil. U.S. and European officials have blamed Moscow for that attack.