Russian president Vladimir Putin praised presidential candidate Donald Trump during an annual press conference with reporters in Russia.

"He is a bright and talented person without any doubt," Putin said, adding that Trump is "an outstanding and talented personality."

He also said that Trump was "the absolute leader of the presidential race."

Trump offered warm words for Putin in return.

"It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," Trump said in a statement released by campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks. "I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect."

Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist who wrote a book about Putin said "There's a really aggressive posture to both men. Putin respects fighters and he respects aggression and he doesn't respect sort of calm and deliberation," Gessen said. "He wants a manly adversary. He wants somebody he can understand."

"I think what Putin sees in Trump is somebody who's shooting from the hip," she said. "Somebody who sees things as being simpler than other politicians or evil journalists might try to make them seem."