Putin calls Trump ‘intelligent’, but warns US President-elect may not be safe

Russian President Vladimir Putin described US President-elect Donald Trump as an “intelligent and experienced politician” capable of finding “solutions”, but said at the same time that he did not believe the Republican leader was safe following his assassination attempts.

In July, Trump was injured after a bullet grazed his ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. In a separate incident in September, a man was charged with attempted assassination after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses.

Speaking to reporters in Kazakhstan after a summit, Putin suggested that things could improve once Trump takes office on January 20 next year, CNN reported.

“As far as I can imagine, the newly-elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person. I think he will find a solution,” he said.

The Russian President said Trump had overcome a “serious test” to return to the White House and that “absolutely uncivilised means of struggle were used against him”, referring to the two assassination attempts against the US President-elect during the election campaign. He feared that Trump was not currently safe.

Putin also slammed the “humiliating and unfounded judicial procedures” against Trump during the campaign. Earlier in June, a jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial, making him the first former US President to be convicted of a felony.

He lashed out at outgoing US President Joe Biden for creating “additional difficulties” for the incoming Trump administration, referring to Biden’s move to allow Ukraine to fire longer-range American missiles, called ATACMS, at targets in Russia.

Putin also threatened that Russia would attack Ukraine again with a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, called ‘Oreshnik’, following Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting Kyiv’s energy facilities, CNN reported.

“We will use the means at our disposal. We do not exclude the use of Oreshnik against the (Ukrainian) military, against military industrial facilities, or against decision-making centres, including in Kyiv, bearing in mind that the Kyiv authorities today continue to attempt to strike our vital facilities,” he said.

Earlier, Trump said he would end the Ukraine war “within 24 hours” if he was re-elected to office but did not specify whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war.