Medvedev praises Trump as peacemaker but doubts submarine claim

"He is an emotional person, but on the other hand, the chaos that is commonly referred to, which is created by his activities, is not entirely true," he told Reuters, TASS and the WarGonzo Russian war blogger in an interview at his residence outside Moscow and authorised for publication on Sunday.

"It is obvious that behind this lies a completely conscious and competent line," said Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012.

President Vladimir Putin remains the final voice on Russian policy, though Medvedev, an arch-hawk who has repeatedly goaded Trump on social media, gives a sense of hardliners' thinking within the Russian elite, according to foreign diplomats.

"Trump wants to go down in history as a peacemaker - and he is really trying," Medvedev said. "He is really trying to do that. And that is why contacts with Americans have become much more productive."