Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised Donald Trump, a Republican presidential hopeful in the United States, saying: "He is a bright and talented person without any doubt”. He also added that Trump is “an outstanding and talented personality”, and welcomed Trump’s desire to “reach deeper relations” between the two countries. Trump had earlier said he and Putin would get along very well, and praised him highly.

Most Republican presidential candidates and US President Barack Obama have been critical of the Russian president. Trump responded to Putin’s comments and said, “It is always a great honour to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond.”

Experts say both men have a lot in common and are equally aggressive in their politics. CNN reported that Trump also said Putin “does not respect Obama at all”, and he felt that he would get along with the Russian president better, which would be better for problem-solving between the two countries.