Donald Trump has previously praised Vladimir Putin as a “strong leader” and has promised warmer ties with Russia. | AP Photo Trump tweets praise of Putin: ‘I always knew he was very smart!’

President-elect Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, calling him “very smart” and lauding his “great move” not to retaliate against the U.S. over sanctions intended to punish the Kremlin for launching cyberattacks targeting the American electoral system.

“Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!” Trump wrote Friday afternoon on Twitter, pinning the post to the top of his account so that it would remain above any subsequent posts. The president-elect’s post was retweeted by the account of the Russian Embassy in Washington.


Trump has previously praised Putin as a “strong leader” and has promised warmer ties with Russia, which is currently the target of sanctions not just related to its cyberattacks against the U.S., but also its annexation of Crimea and its military incursions into eastern Ukraine. Trump said in an interview over the summer that he would consider lifting those sanctions and recognizing Crimea as part of Russia, something much of the international community has refused to do.

The president-elect has also refused to accept that it was indeed Russia behind the cyberattacks that so often made waves during the 2016 presidential race despite the fact that all 17 federal intelligence agencies have reached that conclusion. Particularly upsetting to Trump has been the assessment of the CIA and FBI that Russian cyberattacks were specifically intended to aid his candidacy and install him as the next president.

Trump said Thursday that the nation should “move on” from Russian hacking, but said he would be briefed on the matter next week.

