Putin: Comey, like Snowden, could get asylum in Russia
On call- in show, president says Russia admires U. S. success
Russians do not view the United States as an enemy and sanctions imposed by the U. S. government only make his nation stronger, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
Putin, speaking during a live call- in show closely watched by state media, noted the two nations have been allies in two world wars. He said many Russians admire the achievements of Americans, blaming Western “media hysteria” and sharp political division within the U. S. for the battered bilateral relations. He again denied Russian interference in U. S. elections.
The Russian president compared fired FBI chief James Comey to Edward Snowden, saying Comey’s leak of information was more in line with an activist than an intelligence chief.
“At any rate, if this entails some kind of prosecutions against him ( Comey), we are ready to grant him asylum in Russia,” Putin added. “He should be aware of that.”
The United States constantly tries to exert influence on other countries through NGOs and other means, he said.
“Take a globe, spin it and point with a finger to any place — and American interests will lie there,” Putin said. “And there is surely their interference there. I know this from talks actually with all the heads of state. They do not want to quarrel with the Americans and no one directly speaks about this.”
Putin said the cooperation between the countries is crucial in areas such as poverty, the global environment and nuclear nonproliferation. He pointed to the Iran nuclear deal as a victory for coopera- tion and the world.
“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.
Internally, thousands of anti- corruption demonstrators took to the streets Monday in Moscow and other cities on Russia Day for the biggest wave of protests in five years. Police arrested protest leader and presidential hopeful Alexei Navalny an hour before the Moscow march began.
Putin said he is fine with the protests as long as they are aimed at solving problems and not promoting political figures.
The U. S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to expand Russian sanctions for meddling in U. S. elections and behav- ior in Syria. The amendment would fortify existing sanctions involving energy projects and debt financing.
Putin said Russia’s economy has been hurt by the drop in commodity prices, not sanctions. He said the current sanctions have had a positive impact in some areas by forcing Russia to innovate and improve production.
Putin said his nation’s economy is no longer in recession and has seen growth for three straight quarters. But he acknowledged that the number of Russians with incomes below the poverty line has risen slightly, to 13.5%.
“Citizens’ real incomes have decreased here over the past years. It is very alarming that the number of people living below the poverty line with salaries below subsistence levels has risen,” Putin said.