MOSCOW — Russian President VladiÂmir Putin ranged from conflict zones to U.S. politics Thursday in a news conference in which he tried to close gaps with Washington over Syria, noted that Moscow remained engaged in Ukraine and gave a nod to Donald Trump as the “absolute leader†in the White House race.
Putin — over three hours of questions and some overtime remarks — also touched on Russia’s battered economy and tense relations with Turkey over the downing of a Russian warplane.
Many of Putin’s comments circled back to relations with the United States, including a bit of look-ahead musing on the White House race. Putin said Russia would work with “whomever the American voters choose,†but he singled out Trump.
“He’s a very lively man, talented without doubt,†Putin said according to the Interfax news service after the news conference. He added that Trump is the “absolute leader in the presidential race.â€
Putin — over three hours of questions and some overtime remarks — also touched on Russia’s battered economy and tense relations with Turkey over the downing of a Russian warplane.
Many of Putin’s comments circled back to relations with the United States, including a bit of look-ahead musing on the White House race. Putin said Russia would work with “whomever the American voters choose,†but he singled out Trump.
“He’s a very lively man, talented without doubt,†Putin said according to the Interfax news service after the news conference. He added that Trump is the “absolute leader in the presidential race.â€