Putin: Trump is "not my bride, I'm not his groom"
What's the story
Russian President Vladimir Putin showed his humorous side during a news conference in China. He dismissed a question on whether he was disappointed with US President Donald Trump as "naive," and replied: Trump is "not my bride, and I'm not his groom." Putin also said it would be "absolutely wrong" for Russia to discuss US politics and mocked former US President George W. Bush.
Criticism
Putin: Closure of Russian diplomatic outposts 'done in rude way'
Putin refused to give a direct answer to when asked how Russia would feel if Trump were impeached. Putin criticized America for shutting down the Russian consulate in San Francisco and trade missions in New York and Washington. He said America had a right to make the closures but "it was done in such a rude way."
Mocks Bush
Trump mocks Bush, says US has 'low political culture'
"It is hard to hold a dialogue with people who mix Austria with Australia," Putin said, referring to Bush's 2007 gaffe in Sydney where he called Australian troops "Austrian." "The American nation, America is truly a great country and a great people if they can tolerate such a big number of people with such a low level of political culture," Putin said.
Analysis
Despite high hopes, Trump-Putin haven't managed to improve ties
Trump's victory in the US presidential election last year had brought cheer to Russian officials. Both Trump and Putin had praised each other publicly and called for closer US-Russia relations. However, Trump remains dogged by the investigations into his campaign's alleged links to Moscow. Russia has faced tougher US sanctions and has been accused of meddling in the presidential election, hampering improvement of ties.