World

Putin Accuses US Of ‘Russophobia’ At Annual Q&A

Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

Font Size:

At the 15th annual Q&A titled Direct Line, Vladimir Putin was asked by a self-described pro-Russian American how he could convince his fellow Americans that Moscow was not an enemy. Putin stated that, “The Russophobia currently evolving in the United States — we can see it, and we believe that this is the outcome of a spiraling domestic struggle for power.”

Putin answered questions directly from residents of Russia and the CIS-states for nearly four hours Wednesday night. Although this seems like a lengthy Q&A to most, Direct Line does not have a “strict time frame” by design and Putin “decides how long the conversation will last on the air,” according Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary.

Regardless of “media hysteria,” the Russian president said that Russia has “many friends” in the U.S. Putin also commented on former FBI Director James Comey’s congressional testimony. Putin remarked that Comey leaking conversations to the media regarding President Trump put Trump in a assailable position. “[Comey] suddenly said he recorded a conversation with Trump, and then handed the tape over to the media, which is strange,” Putin remarked.

“What’s the difference between him and Mr. [Edward] Snowden then? He’s a human rights activist then, not an intelligence chief,” Putin mentioned regarding Comey’s leaks to the media. However, Putin wanted Comey to be aware of the fact that he would be safe in Russia if he were to be prosecuted by the United States government. He added that Russia is “ready to grant him asylum.”

According to Peskov, international issues

are “not even on the tenth place” on the list of most frequently asked questions. Although international issues are not an area of concern to Russians, an AP-NORC poll released just this morning states that “68 percent of Americans are at least moderately concerned about the possibility that Trump or his campaign associates had inappropriate ties to Russia” and “almost half of Americans say they’re very concerned.”

Regardless of American sentiments toward Russia, Putin declared that he’s determined to re-engage with Washington on several issues, including climate change and terrorism. Putin cites the Iran nuclear deal as a “positive example of our cooperation” with Washington, although President Trump deems this as “the worst deal ever negotiated.”

“This means we can negotiate and work together. The Syrian issue, the Middle East issue — it’s obvious to everyone that nothing will be achieved without our constructive dialogue,” Putin said.