Former President Bill Clinton said during a gathering at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin is trustworthy — that he’s never gone back on a promise.
“He kept his word in all the deals we made,” Mr. Clinton said, United Press International reported.
Mr. Clinton made the comments in context of speaking about Syria, and the plan forged by Russia to strip President Bashar Assad of his chemical weapon stash and turn it over to the international community to control.
At the same time he said Mr. Putin was trustworthy, Mr. Clinton also admitted he couldn’t predict a successful outcome with the Syrian agreement.
“[The U.S.] will just have to see what happens” with that deal, he said, UPI reported. “You work for the best and prepare for the worst in this business. But I think it would be a terrible mistake not to take advantage of the opportunity. And you know, look, Mr. Putin is very smart.”
Mr. Clinton also said his working relationship with Mr. Putin had been marked by candor. The Russian leader is “brutally blunt,” he said.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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