Vladimir Putin my fan? It’s mutual says Donald Trump

Asked to respond to Putin’s compliments on the Friday morning installment of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Donald Trump expressed appreciation for the Russian president’s sentiments. He is a Soviet-style dictator who must be viewed with caution and skepticism. Indeed, Donald Trump appears to have taken Putin’s public strokes to heart so much that he is willing to overlook some of the most serious allegations against his Kremlin contemporary.

There’s no dismissing the fact that the two men do share certain personality traits.

Trump’s opponents in the GOP field have slammed the billionaire for his warm response to Putin.

And McCain joked about Putin’s praise of Trump on Thursday, mocking the pair as “a match made in heaven”.

For months, Trump has embraced Putin as a world leader he would “get along very well with”, a relationship that would be rooted in the two men’s similar outlook, personas and, in some cases, overlapping policy goals.

If Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump continues his winning streak culminating in his election as the next US president in November next year, he may receive his warmest congratulations not from Western leaders who have expressed their displeasure at his inflammatory remarks. The author of the book Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin indicated that both men have carefully crafted public images that project toughness and strength.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 17, 2015. Trump making headlines with what he said.

When host Joe Scarborough noted that Putin is “a person that kills journalists, political opponents and invades countries”, Trump wouldn’t say a bad word about the strongman.

“Russia wants to get rid of ISIS”.

“He’s running his country, and at least he’s a leader”, Trump responded. “What the hell do we care?”

As for the current Turkish leadership, “nothing is eternal”, Putin said.

Later Friday, presidential rival Jeb Bush berated Trump for being chummy with Putin. Obama, he complained, has “got to think about it, got to go over it again, got to talk to more people”.

The main Syrian opposition bloc, which represents allied rebel forces in Syria, said it will not agree to a ceasefire unless Assad agrees to step down as Syria’s president.

“This council is sending a clear message to all concerned that the time is now to stop the killing in Syria and lay the groundwork for a government that the long-suffering people of that battered land can support”, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told the 15-nation council after the vote.

Germany, though, has been one of the central players in brokering a peace settlement in the conflict.

Trump further argued, “I don’t think it’s leading from behind”.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee who has been derided repeatedly by Trump for losing to President Obama, also took a jab at the mogul’s comments about the Russian leader.

Several activists have called for the U.S.to adopt the same speech codes as Russian Federation.