Donald Trump Just Cozied Up Even Closer To Vladimir Putin

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump heaped more praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin during NBCs Commander-in-Chief forum on Wednesday.

Citing a high approval rating , Trump suggested Putin is a better leader than President Barack Obama .

I think when he calls me brilliant, Ill take the compliment, Trump said, referring to a compliment the Russian leader was rumored to have given Trump in December 2015. (Putin later denied he called Trump brilliant, saying he only said Trump was a bright person .)

If he says great things about me, Im gonna say great things about him, Trump added.

Watch the moment above.

Trump has praised Putin as an effective leader many times before. He has flipped on whether or not hes met the Russian leader, claiming on the campaign trail the two have never met while previously saying he got to know him very well.

In July, Trump went as far as saying he hoped Russia had hacked Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons private email servers, which she used while serving as secretary of state. He declined to say whether Putin should stay out of the 2016 presidential election.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Im not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do? Trump said.

Editors note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar , rampant xenophobe , racist , misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims 1.6 billion members of an entire religion from entering the U.S.