The Kremlin has sought an apology from United States-based news channel Fox News for one of its presenters calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer” during an interview with US President Donald Trump. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Bill O’Reilly’s remarks “unacceptable and insulting”, Reuters reported. “Honestly speaking, we would prefer to get an apology from such as respected TV company,” Peskov told reporters during a conference call.

However, O’Reilly (pictured above) dismissed the Kremlin’s request, saying it would take him “a little time” to apologise. “You might want to check in with me around...2023,” O’Reilly said on Fox News on Monday night. The presenter’s remarks came after he asked Trump to elaborate on why he respected Putin. “He’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer,” O’Reilly said after Trump remarked that it was “better to get along with Russia than not”.

While relations between Russia and the US have deteriorated in the last few years, Trump and Putin in a phone call on January 28 agreed to establish a “partner-like cooperation” on a variety of issues, including the civil war in Syria, Iran’s nuclear programme and tensions on the Korean peninsula. Trump has also expressed his respect for Putin, who US intelligence agencies believe ordered the hacking of Democratic Party organisations and its candidates ahead of the 2016 US presidential elections, leading to Trump’s win.