The Dalai Lama said he hopes that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will work together for global peace.

The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists said the world needed leaders with compassion.

He made the remarks Saturday at a program in New Delhi organized by the women's chapter of an industry group, according to the press statement.

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The Dalai Lama said he hopes that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will work together for global peace at a talk in New Delhi, India on Saturday

He said the world needs leaders with compassion and that the world is moving toward peace and non-violence

He said the world is moving toward peace and non-violence, and he hopes Trump and Putin will come closer and work toward creating global peace.

The Dalai Lama had said in Mongolia in November that he had 'no worries' about Trump's election as US president and looked forward to meeting him after he took office.

The 81-year-old monk said he has always regarded the US as the leader of the 'free world' and wasn't concerned about remarks made by Trump during the election campaign.

He said: 'I feel during the election, the candidate has more freedom to express. Now once they (are) elected, having the responsibility, then they have to carry their cooperation, their work, according (to) reality.'

The Dalai Lama has met former US presidents, including four meetings with Barack Obama.

Such meetings anger Beijing, which accuses the Tibetan leader of trying to split Tibet from China.

The Dalai Lama has long called for Tibet to remain under Chinese rule, but with greater political participation by Tibetans and stronger protections for its traditional Buddhist culture.

China says Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, although many Tibetans say they were effectively an independent country for much of that time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Trump in a phone call and the country's state media had welcomed his election as harkening a less confrontational policy toward China.

Those outlets also applauded Trump's announcement that he would abandon a US.-led free trade agreement in Asia that had excluded China.

But leaders were angered when Trump received a phone call from Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen in December, becoming the first president or president-elect to speak directly to the regime in 37 years.

Trump has also accused Beijing of unfair trade practices and pledged to bulk-up the US military, leaving questions as to his ultimate approach to relations with the world's second-largest economy as he begins his presidency.