Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin can be trusted, but cautioned the United States will “just have to see what happens” over efforts to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons.

“You work for the best and prepare for the worst in this business. But I think it would be a terrible mistake not to take advantage of the opportunity,” he told CNN’s Piers Morgan at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York. “And, you know, look, Mr. Putin is very smart.” …

Clinton said he knows the Russian president well, and they have a “brutally blunt” relationship. He said Putin had never reneged on a personal agreement with him.

“He kept his word in all the deals we made,” Clinton said.