Putin praises Trump for 'improved' US-Russia relations, says have 'great respect' for him

Russian president Vladimir Putin has praised US president Donald Trump for his efforts in stabilising relationship between the two countries. Calling him a “very courageous person" who “survived two assassination attempts," Putin also credited Trump for trying to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“In general, thanks to President Trump, relations between Russia and the United States are beginning to level out in some ways. Not everything has been decided in the sphere of diplomatic relations, but the first steps have been taken, and we are moving forward," Putin told reporters in Minsk.

Putin further said he had "great respect" for Trump and was willing to meet him. He emphasised that the meeting would require careful preparation but is "quite possible".

Trump and Putin's relationship has mostly been bumpy, especially after the Russian attack on Ukraine. Trump has consistently been urging Putin to end the war but the Russian president hasn't heeded much attention to him so far. The consistent refusal by Putin saw Trump call him "absolutely CRAZY."

However, both the leaders have often spoken about mending their relations and the accolade that Trump has received from Putin can be seen as another attempt towards this.

In fact, Putin in surprise statement also said that Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year.

After the statement by Putin the US President reacted by saying "Putin made some very nice statements today," reported Reuters.

"Putin respects our country," Trump further added saying that other US adversaries including Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also share the same thought for his country.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Friday that he thinks something will happen in Russia- Ukraine conflict that will get "settled,"

"We're working on that one. President Putin called up and he said, I'd love to help you with Iran. I said, do me a favor: I'll handle Iran. Help me with Russia. We got to get that one settled. And I think something's going to happen there," Trump told reporters at the White House.