Putin praises Trump as ‘well-qualified’ and an ‘interesting conversationalist’ after summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised US leader Donald Trump as well-informed and a good conversationalist after a summit in Helsinki.

“He’s a well-qualified person, he knows the material, he listens and takes in arguments,” Putin told Channel One state-controlled television in an interview given after their joint press conference.

“On some questions he sticks to his opinion,” Putin added, giving the example of Trump’s decision to quit the international nuclear deal with Iran.

Trump “is an interesting conversationalist,” Putin said after their several hours of talks.

“Everyone thinks he’s exclusively a businessman. I don’t think that’s so. Because he’s already a politician,” he added.

“Most of all because he knows how to listen and hear what the electorate, the public, wants from him, and he is doing a good job on that,” Putin said.

As for the question of whether Russia has compromising information on Trump, Putin batted away the matter at the press conference.