Putin not "so smart", says Obama

Washington

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin - hailed as a "genius" by some people earlier this year - hasn't been "so smart" as sanctions that his country faces are proving successful, US President Barack Obama says in a year-end interview with NPR.

Difficulties afflicting the Russian economy and changing views of Mr Putin's efforts to expand his influence through the Ukraine conflict show the wisdom of "having some strategic patience" in dealing with world crises, Mr Obama said in the wide-ranging interview taped earlier this month and released on Monday.