What Donald Trump And Vladimir Putin's Relationship Is Really Like
Navigating Donald Trump's favor is like walking a tightrope: shower him with compliments, and you're golden; cross him, even slightly, and you're out in the cold. However, Vladimir Putin seems to play by different rules in Trump's playbook, maintaining his spot in the good graces, seemingly immune to doing any wrong.
Trump's thoughts on Putin have sparked debate. He regularly gushes about the Russian president, often while criticizing the USA. "Yesterday reporters asked me if I thought President Putin was smart," Trump told the CPAC crowd in February 2022. "I said, 'Of course he's smart.' To which I was greeted with, 'Oh, that's such a terrible thing to say.' The problem is not that Putin is smart; the real problem is that our leaders are dumb."
Even when Putin disses him, Trump refuses to criticize the politician or label him with a nasty nickname. Putin told a reporter from Russian state television in February 2024 (via Associated Press) that he favors President Joe Biden over Trump because Biden is "more experienced, more predictable, he's a politician of the old formation." For many, that would result in the kiss of death. But not when it comes to Putin. Trump told the crowd at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, that he was flattered by the remarks, claiming the former KGB intelligence officer "isn't a fan of mine actually." So, what is Trump and Putin's relationship like?
Mutual respect and praise
Donald Trump likes to keep people guessing regarding how close his relationship with Vladimir Putin is. He regularly flip-flops on the subject, although one thing remains steady — he never criticizes the Russian president. It's unclear how close the two were before Trump took office in January 2017. The Kremlin claimed they had never met or even spoken. "We've said it many times before, President Putin has never had any contact with Trump, never spoken to him, including by telephone," a spokesperson told NBC News in August 2016. "The same goes for all of his staff."
Still, as history proves, any statements from the Kremlin should be taken with a pinch of salt. Whether they had any previous contact or not, Trump was gushing about Putin as far back as 2013. "Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?" he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a December 2015 interview with reporters in Moscow, Putin had nothing but praise for Trump. "He's a very lively man, talented without doubt," he said, predicting Trump would win the presidency. "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," Trump said in response, claiming he and Putin would work well together to restore world peace.
Putin the puppet master
One thing is sure about Donald Trump: he's a magnet for controversy. Unsurprisingly, his relationship with Vladimir Putin is a major source of contention. When Putin invaded Ukraine, Trump didn't have a bad word to say about him; quite the opposite, in fact. "I went in yesterday, and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius,'" Trump said during an appearance on the "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" in February 2022. "Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that's wonderful." And Trump really set the cat among the pigeons in February 2024 when he said he wouldn't protect NATO countries that failed to meet their financial obligations.
Trump's unwavering support of Putin concerns many. "Trump views Putin as a strongman," Fiona Hill, a national security official during the Trump administration, told The Guardian. "In a way, they're working in parallel because they're both trying to weaken the US, but for very different reasons."
Meanwhile, the friendship appears pretty one-sided. The Washington Post claimed that Trump does much of the hard work for Putin — inadvertently or not. It declared that 45 sold Russia's agenda to the world during the Helsinki Summit in July 2018, allowing Putin to sit back and listen. "In a matter of minutes, and in front of the entire world, the Kremlin won the narrative, and Putin strutted out with the glow of victory," it wrote.