MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday telephoned French president-elect Francois Hollande to congratulate him on his election victory and thanked outgoing leader Nicolas Sarkozy, the Kremlin said.

"The Russian president congratulated F. Hollande on his victory in the presidential election. For his part, F. Hollande warmly congratulated V. Putin on his assuming the office of the president," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The two men pledged to keep developing bilateral relations and "agreed to hold regular contacts," it said.

Putin also telephoned Sarkozy to thank him for "constructive work" with Russia over the past several years, it said.

Putin was inaugurated for his third term as Russia's president on Monday.