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On a recent episode of Last Week Tonight, recent episode, host John Oliver tried to decode US President Donald Trump’s special relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, explaining what it would mean if America did actually get along with Russia.

“It’s a bit weird that you’ve been objectively nicer to Vladimir Putin than you have to Meryl Streep,” Oliver said, referring to Trump’s comments in the past.

He also explained that Putin isn’t taken very seriously in the U.S. “I know that over here, we think of Putin like a cartoon character that stages photo ops where he’s shirtless on a horse or swimming like a dolphin or emerging from the sea like a Bond villain.”

But he’s a “comic book hero” back home and very popular, Oliver added.

He went on to explain Putin’s tactics and how he manages to manipulate the masses, before talking about the Russian president’s critics and what happened to them.

“Standing up to him could mean being targeted by trolls, and not just on the Internet: When Garry Kasparov spoke at a political opposition event, he was interrupted – and this is true – by radio-controlled flying dildos,” Oliver said.

The host added that Putin actually tries to deflect attention from Russia’s problems by pointing out flaws in America’s system. For instance when asked about Russia’s human rights abuses in 2015, he responded by shifting his gaze towards America’s problems, citing Ferguson and more examples.

“Trump is basically the propagandist of Putin’s dreams, and who knows why he’s acting this way. Maybe he’s compromised, maybe he’s an idiot, but since the President of the United States won’t stick up for this country, I will, “ Oliver said.