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In an unprecedented move, the Republican nominee says he will meet with the Russian president before the inauguration if he is elected.
Donald Trump says he might meet with Vladimir Putin before he is sworn in as president.
There is no precedent for many of the outlandish statements Trump makes, and this is among them. Trump made this suggestion Monday after criticizing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for being too "tough" on Russia.
Trump revealed his plans for potentially meeting with Putin during an interview with conservative radio host Michael Savage. Savage and Trump both kept claming the election is "rigged" and that the media is in bed with Clinton to try to keep him from winning the presidency.
"They insult [Putin] constantly -- I mean, no wonder he can't stand [President Barack] Obama and Hillary Clinton," said the Republican nominee. Trump referred to tensions between the American politicians and the Russian president as a "very serious problem."
"It is the worst situation that we've had with Russia since the end of the Cold War, by far," Trump told Savage.
Trump then said that because of Obama and Clinton's mistreatment of the Russian president, he would take it on himself to ease tensions between the two countries. "If I win on November 8, I could see myself meeting with Putin and meeting with Russia prior to the start of the administration," he said.
Putin signed a law in 2013 that banned LGBT "propaganda." The law provides for fines on "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations," basically any positive discussion of LGBT identity in a venue accessible to minors, on the theory they may develop a "distorted understanding" that same-sex relationships are equal to heterosexual ones. Since the law was passed, there has been a rise in anti-LGBT violence in Russia, Pride parades have been banned, and the country has proposed a ban on same-sex public displays of affection along with attempting to criminalize coming out.
Russia has been accused of hacking the email servers of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, and of trying to influence the election. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations.
