During his annual marathon press conference today in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised real estate mogul Donald Trump, who is currently the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
“He is a bright personality, a talented person, no doubt about it,” Putin told the media during the three-hour televised session, reports NBC News. “It is not up to us to appraise his positive sides, it is up to the U.S. voters. but, as we can see, he is an absolute leader in the presidential race.”
According to RT.com, Putin said it was a good thing that Trump wanted to take Russia-U.S. relations “to another level,” but refrained from commenting specifically on Trump’s proposed policies. “It’s not our business to assess his work in this respect,” Putin said.
Putin has had an icy relationship with President Barack Obama since he returned to the Russian presidency in 2012. Russia and the U.S. have also differed on policy in Syria, with Russia continuing to back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Washington Post notes that Putin told reporters today that he will keep Russian forces in Syria until a democratic process can begin.
“There is a plan,” Putin said today. “In its key aspects, it coincides with the American plan: working on the constitution, preparing elections in Syria and the recognition of their results. But for now we are going to launch strikes and support the Syrian army in its offensive.”