Putin says Trump will bring European elite back in line

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised US President Donald Trump's political style, saying the recently inaugurated president will bring the European elite back in line.

In an interview broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday, Putin said Trump would restore order in US relations with the European elite, who he said preferred Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.

"It will happen quickly and soon. They will all be at their master's heel and wagging their tails nicely," Putin said.

"Trump has different ideas about what is good and what is bad - including on gender policy and other issues," Putin said, while sitting in the car with pro-Kremlin television correspondent Pavel Sarubin, who is notoriously known as the president's favourite reporter.

Putin said the European elite of today always ends up doing what the United States wants. He praised former German chancellors Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder, who he said had stood up for their own opinions.

The Russian president never praised Biden. However, he congratulated Trump on his election victory and then his inauguration in January, and emphasized his strength as a politician.

Trump has repeatedly said he will speak to Putin soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Putin has said that he is ready to resume contact, but a date for the talks has not yet been announced.