Unlike George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Putin has not ignored the interests of US national security, making "incredibly poor decisions," Flynn said.
"He respects people who are selfish about their country. Putin is a guy who is very selfish about Russia and about the Russian federation, and he understands the history of his country. You can't say, ‘I don't like you.' You've got to respect him. He's a world leader," Flynn told the magazine.
"Putin will be a reliable partner for certain things for the United States, yes. Absolutely. We need to have a relationship from the top to the bottom, same with China," the political advisor said.
Flynn stressed Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the United States should pay more attention to its domestic problems.
"The United States should not have to intervene in every single problem around the world," the adviser said.
Earlier, the US Republican presidential candidate said he would be prepared to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the United States. He also noted that the US and Russia should maintain positive relations. Reaching a US-Russia consensus would be wonderful and it would have a positive impact on the whole world, according to Trump.
