MOSCOW -- In Vladimir Putin's view, Donald Trump is "bright and talented." But as much as those words sound like praise, there are some murky nuances.

The most unequivocally favorable part of the comments the Russian leader made Thursday to a scrum of reporters after his annual year-end news conference was about the Republican presidential aspirant's claims he wants to improve relations with Russia.

"He says that he wants to move to another, closer level of relations. Can we really not welcome that? Of course we welcome that," Putin said.

Trump hasn't given details about he would go about achieving that, relying instead on his fireproof self-regard.

Russia-U.S. relations have hit a particularly low point during the Obama administration, with the Kremlin persistently alleging Washington's pressure on Moscow over human rights and the sanctions imposed over Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine are a cover for fomenting unrest aimed at driving Putin out of office.

The Russian word Putin used to describe Trump means "bright" not only in terms of intelligence, but also "vivid" and even "gaudy."

"It's not our affair to determine his worthiness; that's a matter for the American voters," Putin said.