US Senator John McCain has criticized President Donald Trump for his congratulatory message for Vladimir Putin over his reelection as Russian presidents.

The Arizona Republican released a statement Tuesday after Trump phoned the Russian president over his reelection on Sunday.

The 81-year-old politician described the call as an “insult” to the Russian nation, questioning the latest election’s fairness.

“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections," McCain said. "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 lawmaker who is a fierce opponent of the president’s policy towards Russia has previously stated that Trump is “doing Putin's job for him."

Trump told reporters at the White House earlier on Tuesday that he had talked to Putin and was expecting to meet him soon,

“We had a very good call,” he said. “We will probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future to discuss the arms race, which is getting out of control.”

His call came not long after the US government imposed new sanctions on Moscow for alleged efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, which yielded President Trump.

The president and some of his closest allies are of interest in the investigation launched to also trace possible collusion with the Kremlin.

KD