The “Russia card” too often gets the spotlight in the US presidential election campaign, President Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Obama’s recent comments on Russia do not contribute to fragile trust-building efforts.

“Unfortunately, we see continued displays of often hard-core Russophobia,” Peskov said Wednesday during his daily conference call with reporters. “We can only express regret in this regard.”

“This rhetoric, which is being formulated in electoral campaign style… is unlikely to help fledgling fragile attempts to build at least some sort of mutual trust.”

On Tuesday, Obama blasted Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump for offering a soundbite to the Larry King Politicking Show that airs on RT.

The US president went further, comparing Putin to Saddam Hussein.

“When the interviewer asks him [Trump], ‘why do you support this guy [Putin]?’ He says, ‘He is a strong guy. Look, he’s got an 82 percent poll rating.’ Well, yes, Saddam Hussein had a 90 percent poll rating. If you control the media and you’ve taken away everybody’s civil liberties, and you jail dissidents, that’s what happens,” Obama told a Hillary Clinton rally in Philadelphia.

“When the interviewer asks him [Trump], ‘why do you support this guy [Putin]?’ He says, ‘He is a strong guy.

Look, he’s got an 82 percent poll rating.’ Well, yes, Saddam Hussein had a 90 percent poll rating. If you control the media and you’ve taken away everybody’s civil liberties, and you jail dissidents, that’s what happens,” Obama told a Hillary Clinton rally in Philadelphia.

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