US President Donald Trump acknowledged that Russia has been able to cope with the sanctions imposed on it and called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a professional.

Axar.az informs, citing TASS, "We talk about sanctions a lot," the US leader told reporters, recalling his July 3 telephone conversation with Putin.

"He has been able to manage sanctions," Trump said, referring to his Russian counterpart. "But these are pretty binding sanctions," he added, referring to the possibility of new anti-Russian restrictions in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. "Now we talk about sanctions a lot. He [the Russian president] understands that it may be coming. He is a professional," the US head of state said. "It may be coming," Trump reiterated. In his opinion, the Russian president is "not thrilled" about this possibility.

"I think I'm tougher in Russia than I am on Iran," the US president noted.