Putin: US-Russia relationship at ‘its lowest point’ in years
Al JazeeraThe Russian president, ahead of his meeting with Joe Biden, also praised former US President Donald Trump. “We want a stable and predictable relationship … but I’ve been clear: The United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities.” The leaders’ first in-person meeting comes as relations between Washington and Moscow are strained over several issues, including alleged Russian cyberattacks against the US and the detention of Alexey Navalny, a critic of the Kremlin. Praise for Trump In the NBC interview, Putin praised former President Donald Trump as “an extraordinary individual, talented individual,” and called Biden “radically different”. “Well even now, I believe that former US President Mr Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become US president,” Putin said. He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics.” “That’s a different kind of person, and it is my great hope that yes, there are some advantages, some disadvantages, but there will not be any impulse-based movements, on behalf of the sitting US president.” US officials see next week’s face-to-face meeting between Putin and Biden as an opportunity to tilt the relationship away from what they view as former President Trump’s fawning overtures to Putin.