Putin praises Trump, criticizes Democrats, denies Moscow role

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised US president-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying Trump had his finger on the pulse of US society, and he launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers.

Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Putin said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat.

"The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors," Putin told reporters.