Saint Petersburg, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the business fraud charges against ex-US president Donald Trump were politically motivated and that his conviction "burned" the idea that Washington was a leading democracy.

Trump became the first former US head of state ever convicted of a crime last week after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 felony charges in a hush money case.

"It is obvious all over the world that the prosecution of Trump... is simply the utilization of the judicial system during an internal political struggle," Putin said in a televised meeting with representatives from foreign news outlets.

"Their supposed leadership in the sphere of democracy is being burned to the ground," Putin said.

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Asked what a victory for either Trump or incumbent President Joe Biden would mean for US-Russia relations, Putin said, "By and large there's no difference."

Trump, who faces an election in November that could see him return to the White House, has praised Putin as a "smart guy."

The 77-year-old has vowed to end the Ukraine conflict "within 24 hours" if re-elected, a proposal that has drawn skepticism and alarm from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.