WASHINGTON, March 17 - U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “are very good friends” who are focused on ways to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Russia.

The two presidents plan to speak Tuesday about the war in Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

Gabbard said ties between Russia and the U.S. go “very far back” and that Trump is committed to expanding a relationship centered “around peace, prosperity, freedom and security.”

“We have two leaders of two great countries who are very good friends and very focused on how we can strengthen the shared objectives and shared interests,” Gabbard said in an interview with India’s NDTV, portions of which were released Monday ahead of its broadcast.

Gabbard’s comments reflect the dramatic shift in U.S.-Russia relations under Trump, who has boasted of his relationship with Putin, blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion and taken a hard line against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Under Trump’s administration, the U.S. briefly suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine and also has suspended some offensive cyberoperations against Russia.

Gabbard, who oversees the nation’s intelligence services, has in the past echoed Russian propaganda about the war and expressed sympathy for Russia. A veteran, Gabbard became the first Hindu elected to Congress when she served as a representative from Hawaii.

The comments about the friendship between Trump and Putin and the ties between the U.S. and Russia — longtime adversaries — alarmed some critics of Trump’s call for warmer relations with Moscow.

“What are the ‘shared objectives and interests’ of the United States and Putin’s Russia?” Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov posted Monday on X. “Destroying Ukraine? Killing NATO? Conquering Europe? Fascism? It’s not peace or ending the war, because Russia could do that today and doesn’t.”

In the portions of the interview released by NDTV, Gabbard criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of the war in Ukraine and said Trump’s push for both sides to agree to a ceasefire comes from an “unwavering commitment to peace.”

“Under the previous administration, there was no effort at all towards peace or direct dialogue with Putin to bring an end to this war. So, in a very short period of time, Trump has made much more progress towards peace than any other previous effort,” Gabbard said.

While in India, Gabbard will speak to an international security conference. Her trip also includes stops in Japan and Thailand. (ap/ez)