" Trump had previously denied claims from journalist Bob Woodward’s book that he had multiple phone calls with Putin after leaving the White House, calling it "absolutely wrong."During an interview with Bloomberg at the Chicago Economic Club, he refused to comment directly on the matter, saying: "If I did, it’s a smart thing... If I’m friendly with people, if I have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country."He also reportedly added: "Russia has never had a president that they respect so much."Earlier, Trump said that during his presidency, he "(got) along very well with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," implying that the Russian leader often talked about his ambition to control Ukraine.The comments came three weeks before the U.S.