Donald Trump’s endorsement list just got weirder…by adding Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual press conference to address tense relations with Turkey, Russia’s economy, and the crisis in Syria.
“It’s not up to us to judge his virtue, that is up to United States voters, but he is the absolute leader of the presidential race”, Putin added.
“He says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russian Federation”. How can we not welcome that? “We are told all the time, “Kosovo is a special case'”, Putin said”.
He said that Moscow had tried to maintain economic relations with Kiev and that Russian Federation is interested in the swift settlement of conflicts in eastern Ukraine through open and honest dialogue. Trump said: “He does not like Obama at all”.
Asked whether Moscow is ready to exchange two men Ukraine says are Russian soldiers for Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko and other prisoners, Putin said any exchange must be equal and details could be discussed with Ukrainian authorities. “Let them try and fly there now”, he said, noting that Russia’s most advanced air-defense system, the S-400, can hit any target in Syria. “We are open, and we will work with any president the American people will vote for”.
Does Putin think Trump is intelligent?
Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist who authored the book “Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin”, said she believed Putin’s comments are “sincere” and that the Russian leader shares a lot in common with the brash billionaire.
Putin repeated recent claims that Russian Federation is conducting air support for some opposition groups fighting against IS and voiced support for a U.S.-led plan that includes preparation of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria. “But Russia is not such a country”, said Putin.
Kerry said “nothing would please us more than to resolve the differences on Ukraine” but there was little sign of a convergence.
Buffeted by Western sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis, falling oil prices, and a weakening rouble, Russia’s economy is forecast to shrink by around 4 percent this year, its sharpest contraction since the global financial crisis. Moscow has said that the crash that killed all 224 people on board was caused by a bomb.
Mr Trump responded that he was honoured.
Trump, a tycoon and one-time reality television star who has unexpectedly become leader of the Republican presidential candidates’ race, has gained both fans and enemies recently for inflammatory remarks against Muslims.
“They don’t engage in business, and they don’t engage in politics”, Putin said, declining to answer the question.
Putin himself is not opposed to being blunt or vulgar to make a point, at one point vowing to wipe out Chechen rebels even if they had to be shot “in the outhouse”, and another time suggesting a reporter who questioned his Chechen policy should get circumcised.
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Solving it is essential for ensuring political stability, Putin said, pledging “no one will cover up anyone”. He did not directly deny reports published this year that his older daughter runs a program at Moscow State University.
