I would say they are pragmatic and trusting relations. I can’t help but agree with him that if his victory had not been stolen in 2022, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to a question about those comments, said the issues for Russia in Ukraine were about national security, threats to Russians living there, and the refusal of the United States and Europe to listen to Russia's concerns.