Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed indirect support for his presidential campaign on the basis of Trump’s stated desire for amicable U.S. relations with Russian.

“We are carefully watching what is happening in the United States and we, of course, view with sympathy those who publicly state that it is necessary to build a relationship with Russia, on basis of equality,” Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian television, according to the AFP.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has said that it would be better for the U.S. to have normalized relations with Russia, a marked departure from typical Republican thinking and out-of-step with the Obama administration’s response to Russia’s military involvement in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine.

The Republican nominee has also expressed a personal admiration for Putin, who he has said is a stronger leader within the Russian system of government than Obama is in the U.S.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has criticized Trump for his comments on Putin, describing them as “unpatriotic” and “scary.” She has also said that she is worried that Russia is interfering with the U.S. election on Trump’s behalf.

Putin pushed back against efforts to cast Russia as a malign influence in world affairs and U.S. politics Saturday, according to the AFP.

“Attempts to recreate the image of a so-called ‘evil empire’ and to scare laymen in this manner … (are) attempts to manipulate public opinion,” he said.

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