I interviewed Vladimir Putin compares the former and current president of the United States. The Russian does not spare the compliments when describing Donald Trump.
“I believe that former President Trump is an extraordinary man, a gifted man, otherwise he would never have become President of the United States,” Putin said.
Much was said about the relationship between Trump and Putin. The performance of the power duo in particular during a summit in Helsinki attracted attention, when Trump said that he trusted Putin more than the FBI’s assessment of Russian interference in the US presidential election.
– Trump and Putin’s press conference in Helsinki in 2018 attracted international attention. Photo: Leonhard Foeger / REUTERS
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– He is a colorful character. Either you like him or you do not like him. But he did not come from the established power elite, he had not participated in the big political scene before. Some like it, others do not, but those are facts, Putin says.
New challenge
Putin is making no secret of the fact that he faces a completely different task when he meets Biden on June 16:
– Biden is radically different from Trump, because he is a career man. He has spent virtually his entire adult life in politics, Putin says of the man who was elected senator as early as 1973.
Relations between the United States and Russia are now at a bottom level, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes it is worse than it was during the Cold War. Still, Putin is optimistic before the duo meet next week.
– He is a different person, and I really hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but the current president will not act on impulse, Putin states.
Hollywood male
Biden and Putin have met before, including in 2011 when the Democrat was vice president. Biden has repeatedly claimed that he then told Putin that he “had no soul”. The US president has also accused Putin of being a “killer”.
– Biden claims he told Putin that the Russian had no soul when the couple met in 2011. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Photo
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The Russian president was confronted with the accusation during the NBC interview, but did not want to give a direct answer.
“During my presidency, I have become accustomed to attacks from all sides, from all areas, under all kinds of circumstances,” Putin said. He thinks the “killer” stamp is “Hollywood macho”.
Rejects the killing of the opposition
Putin was also confronted with allegations that several Russian opposition politicians have been killed in recent years. The Russian president did not like this.
“I do not want to be rude, but this seems like you have digestive problems, just that the digestive problems are verbal,” Putin told NBC journalist Keir Simmons.
The journalist mentioned several of the dead opposition politicians by name, which made Putin react.
“You mentioned many people who at different times and for different reasons have suffered and disappeared, as a result of the actions of different people,” Putin replied.
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