Trump says Vladimir Putin is a stronger leader than Barack Obama as he continues to get cosy with the Russian president
Tub-thumping Republican candidate insists he has "great things" to say about Russian premier
DONALD Trump has heaped praise on Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, saying he is "far more" of a leader than President Barack Obama.
The Republican nominee's comments echo past praise of the Russian premier, with whom he would have a "very very good" relationship if he makes it to the White House in November.
In an interview held in front of US navy personnel, tub-thumping Trump said he has "great things" to say about the Kremlin boss.
"If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him", the billionaire businessman said aboard the USS Intrepid.
"I’ve already said he is really very much of a leader."
When confronted with criticism of Putin -- including his annexation of Crimea, supporting insurrection in Ukraine and backing barrel-bombing Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad -- Trump turned on Obama.
"Do you want me to start naming some of the things that President Obama does at the same time?", he replied.
"I mean, you can say, 'Oh, isn’t that a terrible thing' – the man has very strong control over a country", Trump said of Putin, who this week had a tense standoff with his US counterpart at the G20 summit.
"Now, it’s a very different system, and I don’t happen to like the system.
"But certainly, in that system, he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader."
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The televised forum, which focused on national security and foreign policy, featured one-on-one interviews with both presidential candidates.
Democratic hopeful Hilary Clinton used much of her time to discuss the threat of ISIS, firmly outlining her no-boots-on-the-ground policy for Iraq and Syria.
But she was grilled on her past support for the Iraq war, which she called a "mistake".
Trump was less specific on his plan to defeat ISIS.
He pledged to increase the size of America's active armed forces, but did not reveal costings or how they would be deployed.
Despite the former Secretary of State edging out a lead in polls over Trump, the tough-talking businessman has the overwhelming support of veterans and serving personnel.
A recent survey found a 19 per cent lead for Trump over Clinton among voters with military connections.
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