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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, spoke highly of US President Donald Trump, saying that he has seen “some serious achievements” of the American President.
Putin said this at his annual news conference.
Asked to comment on the US-Russia relations, Putin said Trump was doing his best but had not been in a position to improve relations with Russia.
“It is not for me to evaluate Donald Trump’s work. This should be done by his electorate, but I see some serious achievements”, he said.
On the allegations that Russia interfered in the US election, Putin said the allegation was simply an attempt by the opposition in the US to bring Trump down.
The Trump campaign is being investigated for collusion with Russia. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow tried to sway the presidential election in favour of Mr Trump, but Mr Putin denies the allegations.
“It’s all invented by those in opposition to Trump to make his work seem illegitimate,” Mr Putin said, when asked about the investigation.
The Russian leader said the ban of his country’s Olympic team from the 2018 winter games was “an attempt to influence Russia’s policy”. He vowed that Russia will help its athletes defend their rights in international courts