Putin says he doesn’t believe Trump is safe after assassination attempts

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised US president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday as an experienced and intelligent politician, but said he did not believe Trump was safe after attempts on his life.

Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. In a separate incident in September, a man was charged with attempted assassination after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses.

Speaking to reporters in Kazakhstan after a summit, Putin said he had been shocked by the way the US election campaign had unfolded.

He cited “the absolutely uncivilised methods used to battle against Trump, up to and including an assassination attempt – and more than once”.

“By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe now,” Putin said.

“Unfortunately, in the history of the United States various incidents have happened. I think he [Trump] is intelligent and I hope he’s cautious and understands this.”