Russian President Vladimir Putin praised President-elect Trump as an “intelligent” and “experienced” leader on Thursday, while noting he does not believe the president-elect is “safe” following the two attempts on his life earlier this year.
Putin, speaking to reporters in Kazakhstan after a summit, said relations between Moscow and Washington could improve once Trump is back in the Oval Office in January, CNN reported.
“As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person. I think he will find a solution,” Putin said.
The comments suggested a shift in tone by the Kremlin compared to its current tense relations with the Biden administration, as the U.S. boosts Ukraine’s weaponry supply ahead of January.
Earlier this week, Russia warned the U.S. to halt what it called a “spiral of escalation” over Ukraine after the Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside of Russia earlier this month.
Trump on the campaign trail repeatedly pledged he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” but has offered few specifics about how that would be accomplished.
The president-elect has faced scrutiny for his friendly tone toward toward Putin, who he called a “genius” shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The two leaders have reportedly spoken at least seven times since Trump left office in January 2021.
Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory earlier this month and said he was ready to hold discussions with the incoming president.
In his wide-ranging remarks Thursday, the Russian president also expressed doubts about Trump’s safety while discussing his shock over how the U.S. election unfolded, Reuters reported.
Putin pointed to “the absolutely uncivilized methods used to battle against Trump, up to and including an assassination attempt – and more than once,” the news service reported.
“By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe now,” Putin said, adding, “Unfortunately, in the history of the United States various incidents have happened. I think he [Trump] is intelligent and I hope he’s cautious and understands this.”
Trump was shot in the ear in July in an attempted assassination during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. One rally attendee died, while two others were wounded. The shooter was killed by authorities on the scene.
Then in September, Trump was targeted in another assassination attempt while golfing in Florida. The suspect was arrested and pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Putin said he was surprised by the criticism against Trump’s family by the president-elect’s political opponents, according to Reuters.
Calling the criticism and behavior “revolting,” Putin said not even “bandits” in Russia would act that way.
Conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated this week, with a Russian strike on energy infrastructure in western Ukraine on Thursday leaving more than 1 million people without power.
