Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised President-elect Donald Trump as a “smart” and “experienced” leader, but said he did not believe Trump was “safe” after two attempts on his life earlier this year. He said he did not.
Putin told reporters in Kazakhstan after the summit that relations between Russia and the United States could improve once Trump returns to the Oval Office in January. CNN reported.
“As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is a smart person who already has a lot of experience. I think he will find a solution,” Putin said.
The comments signal a shift in the Kremlin's attitude compared to its current tense relationship with the Biden administration, as the United States ramps up arms supplies to Ukraine ahead of January.
Russia warned the United States earlier this week to stop a “spiral of escalation” over Ukraine after the Biden administration earlier this month authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian soil.
On the campaign trail, President Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” but offered few specifics about how that would be accomplished.
The president-elect has faced harsh criticism for his friendly tone toward President Vladimir Putin in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two leaders have reportedly met at least seven times since President Trump left office in January 2021.
Earlier this month, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and said he was ready to hold talks with the next president.
In wide-ranging remarks Thursday, the Russian president also expressed doubts about President Trump's safety as he discussed the president's shock at the developments in the U.S. election. Reuters reported.
“In the fight against Mr. Trump, completely uncivilized methods were used, up to and including several assassination attempts,” Putin said, according to the news agency's report.
“By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe right now,” Putin said, adding, “Unfortunately, various incidents have happened in the history of the United States. I think he [Trump] I hope he is smart and careful and understands this. ”
President Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July. One rally participant was killed and two others were injured. The gunman was killed by authorities at the scene.
Then in September, Trump was the target of another assassination attempt while golfing in Florida. The suspect was arrested and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
According to Reuters, President Putin said he was surprised by the criticism of President Trump's family by the president-elect's political opponents.
President Putin called such criticism and actions “rebellious” and said that even “bandits” in Russia would not act like that.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has escalated this week, with Russia attacking energy infrastructure in western Ukraine on Thursday, leaving more than 1 million people without power.
