Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday described U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as intelligent, and predicted he would quickly grasp his new level of responsibility and act accordingly.
"Since he managed to achieve success in business, that shows he is a clever person," Putin said in a televised interview and quoted by AFP.
"If he's clever, that means he will fully and quite quickly grasp a different level of responsibility," he added.
Putin said that Russia "expects that he will act precisely on this basis."
Following Trump’s election last month, he and Putin held a telephone call in which they agreed about the need to "normalize" Russia-U.S. relations.
Putin last Thursday reiterated Moscow's readiness to work with Trump's administration once the President-elect takes office in January.
"It is important to normalize and start to develop bilateral relations on an equal and mutually-beneficial basis," Putin said in his annual state of the nation address.
Trump has praised Putin's leadership and said he looks forward to "a strong and enduring relationship with Russia."
When Trump was running for the Republican presidential nomination, Putin lavished praise on the New York billionaire, describing him as "talented" and "outstanding".
Trump later returned the favor, praising Russia's leader as forceful and popular.
Trump’s election victory could signal the beginning of a new era for U.S.-Russia relations, which soured in recent years under President Barack Obama.
While the two countries have managed to work together on issues like North Korea and Iran, they have openly clashed on Syria.
Obama also condemned Russia's intervention on the side of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine and even imposed sanctions on Russian officials, while Russia's decision to grant whistleblower Edward Snowden asylum angered Washington.