Putin says legal cases against Donald Trump are ‘persecution of a political rival’

Vladimir Putin has said that the criminal cases against Donald Trump showed “the persecution of a political rival for political reasons.”

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum gathering in the Pacific Coast city of Vladivostok on Tuesday (12 September), the Russian president described the legal cases against the former US president displayed “the rottenness of the American political system.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly referenced having good relations with Mr Putin during his time in the White House, though critics say he was submissive to the Russian leader.