Putin Expects Trump to Act Responsibly as US President

Russian President Vladimir Putin called US President-elect Donald Trump "a smart person" and said that Trump understands the level of responsibility that comes with his job and will act accordingly.

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that US President-elect Donald Trump understands the level of responsibility that comes with his job and will act accordingly, he said in a televised interview on Sunday.

"Trump was a businessman and an entrepreneur. He is a state official now, the head of the United States, one of the world’s leaders, a key global economy and a military power. His success as a businessman means he is a smart person. As a smart person, he is capable of coming to grips fast with another level of responsibility. We expect him to act with this stance in mind," Putin told an NTV show.

Putin and Trump had a phone conversation on November 14, just days after the billionaire businessman won the US presidency in an election.