Kremlin wants apology from Fox News after Putin 'killer' remark

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin have provoked a strong response from the Kremlin, with the government saying that his comments were "unacceptable".

In O'Reilly's interview with US President Donald Trump, he described the Russian leader as a "killer", which Trump responded to by reaffirming his respect for Putin.

O'Reilly's remark about Putin was made in reference to the alleged political killings of journalists and other dissenters after Trump said he would like assistance from Russia in the fight against the Islamic State.

"There are a lot of killers," Trump said in response to O'Reilly. "We've got a lot of killers. Well, you think our country's so innocent?"

A spokesperson for the Kremlin said on a conference call that Russian authorities were waiting on an apology from the broadcaster.

"We consider such words from the Fox TV company to be unacceptable and insulting, and honestly speaking, we would prefer to get an apology from such a respected TV company," Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The incident represents the latest fallout between the US and Russia, after a winter of discontent in which intelligence agencies in the US accused Putin's administration of meddling in the presidential election.

Trump's relationship with Russia is under particular scrutiny, owing to his previous comments in which he spoke warmly of Putin, despite sanctions being placed against the Kremlin following its annexation of Crimea.

High-profile members of the Republican party have widely criticised Trump's relationship with Putin, and his comparison of the situations in the US and Russia.

"The Russians annexed Crimea, invaded Ukraine, and messed around in our elections," Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said. "I don't think there is any equivalency between the way the Russians conduct themselves and the way the United States does."