Trump defends Putin: we’ve got a lot of killers too

"Our country's so innocent?" US president tells interviewer who described Russian leader as a "killer".

US president Donald Trump speaks to US congressmen at the White House on February 2, 2017. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

WASHINGTON // It is perhaps one of the strangest justifications of one national leader’s behaviour by another. When an interviewer called Russian president Vladimir Putin “a killer”, US president Donald Trump said America was no better because it had lots of killers too.

“What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?” he told Fox’s Bill O’Reilly in an excerpt released by the network. The president’s interview was to air Sunday afternoon before the Super Bowl.

Mr Trump has frequently expressed a wish for better ties with Moscow. He has praised the Russian leader and signalled it was time for an overhaul of relations between the two countries, even after US intelligence agencies ascertained that Russia meddled in the presidential campaign that resulted in Mr Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton last year. Meanwhile, Mr Putin has called Trump a “very bright and talented man”.

During Mr Putin’s years in power, a number of prominent Russian opposition figures and journalists have been killed.

But in the Fox interview, Mr Trump said, “I do respect him.” When asked why, he replied, “I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him. He’s a leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not. And if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIL, which is a major fight, and Islamic terrorism all over the world – that’s a good thing. Will I get along with him? I have no idea.”

Mr O’Reilly then said: “But he’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.”

Mr Trump responded: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?” It is not clear from the excerpt released by Fox whether Mr Trump expanded on the comment later in the interview.

Michael McFaul, a former ambassador to Russia and adviser to former president Barack Obama, described Mr Trump’s comments as “disgusting”. In a tweet he said, “This moral equivalency that Trump continues to draw between the USA and Russia is disgusting (and inaccurate).”

Mainstream Republicans have repeatedly called on Mr Trump to distance himself from Mr Putin, in vain. Throughout the presidential campaign Mr Trump refused to criticise the Russian leader, saying better relations with the Kremlin would be in America’s national interest.

Mr Trump’s repeated criticism of Nato – a common target for Mr Putin – has only fuelled suspicions that he is ready to side with Moscow over allies in Europe.

Across Europe, there are growing concerns that the continent might be wedged between a hostile Russia and a hostile United States.

The senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, also distanced himself from the president's remarks. "Putin's a former KGB agent. He's a thug. He was not elected in a way that most people would consider a credible election. The Russians annexed Crimea, invaded Ukraine and messed around in our elections. And no, I don't think there's any equivalency between the way the Russians conduct themselves and the way the United States does," McConnell told CNN's State of the Union.

While saying he would not critique “every utterance” by Mr Trump, Mr McConnell said he regards America as exceptional.

“America is different, we don’t operate in any way the way the Russians do. I think there’s a clear distinction here that all Americans understand, and no, I would not have characterised it that way. I obviously don’t see this issue the same way he does.”

The Trump administration on Thursday revised recent US sanctions that had inadvertently prevented American companies from exporting certain consumer electronics to Russia. The change allows companies to deal with Russia’s security service, which licenses such exports under Russian law.

The products were not intended to be covered by the sanctions the Obama administration imposed on December 29 after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia interfered in the presidential election. The White House denied there was any easing of sanctions.

* Associated Press