Russian President Vladimir Putin believes President-elect Donald Trump will be able to put an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“President Trump, a smart and experienced person, will come up with a solution, especially given that he has gone through quite an ordeal of fighting to reclaim the Oval Office,” Putin told reporters in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Putin was speaking at the sidelines of a security summit in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, when he was asked about President Joe Biden’s recent decision to give Ukraine long-range missiles.
Representatives for Putin and Trump did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Trump talked about ending the Russia-Ukraine war in Ukraine while on the campaign trail. In July 2023, he said on Fox News that he would end the war within 24 hours if elected.
“I would tell Zelenskyy, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to give more than they ever got if we have to,” Trump said.
Both Ukraine and Russia have been dismissive of Trump’s proposal.
However, Putin’s praise for Trump comes just weeks after the pair reportedly spoke over the phone. Trump also took a separate call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November.
Putin and Trump talked about resolving the war in Ukraine and achieving peace in Europe during their call, The Washington Post reported on November 10, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Kremlin denied the call had taken place, while a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said they “do not comment on private calls” between Trump and other foreign leaders.
Putin’s admiration of Trump appears to be mutual.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Trump called Putin’s move “genius” and “wonderful.” He also said without substantiation that the reason Putin chose to invade Ukraine during Biden’s presidency instead of his was because he had a better relationship with Putin.
“I knew Putin very well. I got along with him great. He liked me. I liked him,” Trump said during a February 2022 appearance on the “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.”
Meanwhile, in February, Putin told the state-owned television channel Russia-1 that he would “work with any US leader whom the American people trust.”
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