Oliver Stone thinks Vladimir Putin is a "great leader for his country".
The 76-year-old 'Platoon' director famously claimed in 2017 the "Russian people have never been better off" and now believes that their president - who launched his invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago - is "loved by the people" and his nation is doing a "great job" with issues such as nuclear energy.
He told The Guardian: "I think Russia is doing a great job with nuclear energy. China is also a leader in that field, although I never was able to penetrate into China, which was a shame for the movie I wish we had. But Putin is a great leader for his country and the people love him.”
The Academy Award-winning filmmaker - who is now at the helm of a documentary about Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - added he considers himself to be in the "middle" of the political spectrum but claimed Democratic leader and current President Joe Biden is a "cold warrior", while his favourite President of all time would be the late John F. Kennedy.
He added about his political stance: "I would say extreme middle. The truth matters to me and we're digging for the truth.
"I think I happened upon a very important subject, which is climate change. And I’m grateful for that.
"It could be my last film, you know, because I’m at that age where I can keel over tomorrow. My favourite president was John Kennedy, so if you look at the two Irishmen sideways, you’ll find that John Kennedy is a peace lover.
"And you find that Joe Biden is a cold warrior in the worst sense of the word."
