But his willingness to seemingly draw a moral equivalence to actions by Mr. Putin, who has brutally suppressed dissent by eliminating political enemies, led to an eruption on social media. Many asked how conservatives would have reacted had President Barack Obama, or other Democrats, compared American actions to Mr. Putin’s. What Mr. Trump was specifically referring to or whether there was added context that came after his comment was not immediately clear based on the excerpt that was made available. In the interview, Mr. Trump was asked if he respected Mr. Putin. “We will work with Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border,” Mr. Trump said in a White House statement.

Source: New York Times February 05, 2017 04:13 UTC