In December, when Mr. Trump’s candidacy was still relatively young, Mr. Putin praised him, when asked, as flamboyant and talented. “He actually suggested that we make a similar statement in Moscow,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “What’s wrong with that?” Mr. Putin said, prompting applause from an audience that included business executives eager to resume smooth economic relations. Now it is Mr. Trump who sees — though not always — a new era of cooperation, “because Putin likes me,” as he put it on Twitter. VideoWhile Mr. Putin has scrupulously avoided endorsing either candidate in the United States campaign, the tenor of coverage by the state news media has clearly favored Mr. Trump.

Source: International New York Times July 26, 2016 01:11 UTC