Russian President Vladimir Putin complimented Republican front-runner Donald Trump as "talented," referring to him as an "absolute leader," whom he would "welcome" in the White House. "He is a bright personality, a talented person, no doubt about it," the Russian leader said of Trump, NBC reported. "It is not up to us to appraise his positive sides, it is up to the U.S. voters."
Putin indicated that he was particularly struck by Trump's interest in deepening relations with Russia.
"He is an absolute leader of the presidential race, as we see it today. He says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russia. How can we not welcome that? Of course we welcome it," Putin told reporters, according to the Fiscal Times.
U.S.-Russian relations have been poor during the Obama administration. Mired in international sanctions against Russia, distrust over Russian intervention in Ukraine and, most recently, fights over airspace in Syria, animosity has sometimes been quite high.
Trump placed himself right in the middle of it during an October appearance on CBS' Face The Nation.
"He does not like Obama at all. He doesn't respect Obama at all. And I'm sure that Obama doesn't like him very much," Trump said of Putin on CBS' Face The Nation in October. "But I think that I would probably get along with him very well. And I don't think you'd be having the kind of problems that you're having right now."
In September, Trump also suggested that Russia should take the lead on airstrikes in Syria, saying, "Russia wants to get rid of ISIS. We want to get rid of ISIS. Maybe let Russia do it. Let them get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?" CNN reported.
Putin's comments may be just as much as a thumb in the eye of British Prime Minister David Cameron as anything else. On Wednesday, Cameron said that Trump's recent proposal on temporarily banning Muslims from entering the country were "divisive, stupid and wrong," AFP reported.
