Putin gives Russia-US relations a maximum of 3 points

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: TASS

Sources said on March 11 that President Putin believes that the current level of relations between Russia and the United States is between 2 and 3 points on a scale of 5. In an interview for the project “20 Questions with Vladimir Putin”, when asked about his views on the current state of relations between Moscow and Washington, he said: “I would give it 3 points. Between 2 and 3 points. However, closer to 3 points”.

Among the positive aspects of Russia-US relations, Putin mentioned cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the growth of bilateral trade over the past two years.

The Russian leader disagrees with the views that the United States can enjoy special privileges in the world. Speaking about his relationship with former US President Barack Obama, Putin recalled that his counterpart at that time had exactly that thought.

“He said that America is an exceptional country, with special privileges and advantages in the world. I cannot agree. God created us all equal and gave us equal rights. Therefore, I think it is completely groundless to say that some people should have special rights to anything,” Putin said.

When discussing his relations with previous US presidents, Putin said that his current US counterpart is Donald Trump and that he often calls him by his first name. “He calls me Vladimir, I call him Donald,” Putin said.

Putin admitted that it was difficult to say which of the US presidents since Bill Clinton, who left the White House in January 2001, he felt most comfortable with. “I had quite constructive relations with each of them,” he said. In particular, the Russian leader said he had “good relations” with George W. Bush, who was US president from 2001 to 2009.

Putin and Trump, who moved into the White House in January 2017, have met several times on the sidelines of major international forums. So far, the two leaders have had only one full-fledged bilateral summit, which took place in Helsinki in July 2018. They have also held several phone conversations. Their most recent meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka in June 2019.