Vladimir
Putin answered questions from NBC anchor Megyn Kelly. The interview was
recorded in the Kremlin on March 1, 2018,
and in Kaliningrad on March 2, 2018.
March
10, 2018
10:00
Part
1. The Kremlin, Moscow, March 1, 2018
Megyn
Kelly: So, thank you very much for doing this, Mr President.
I thought that we’d start with some of the news you made today
at your State of the Nation Address, then we will move into some
facts about you in preparation for our long piece that we are putting
together, and then tomorrow when we will have a longer time together,
we will talk about more substantive issues together, if that is ok with you.
Vladimir
Putin: Fine.
Megyn
Kelly: You announced today that Russia has developed new nuclear-capable
weapons systems, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that you
say renders defence systems useless. Several analysts in the West
have said this is a declaration of a new Cold War. Are we
in a new arms race right now?
Vladimir Putin: In my opinion, the people you have mentioned are not
analysts. What they do is propaganda. Why? Because everything I spoke
about today was done not on our initiative, it is a response
to the US ballistic missile defence programme and Washington’s
unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002.
If
we speak of the arms race, it began at that very moment, when
the United States pulled out of the ABM Treaty. We wanted
to prevent this. We called on our American partners to work
together on these programmes.
Firstly,
we asked them not to withdraw from the treaty, not to destroy
it. But the US pulled out. It was not us who did this but the US.
Yet
we again suggested we work together even after this. I told
my colleague then, “Imagine what would happen if Russia
and the US joined forces in the crucial area
of strategic security. The world would change for a long
period to come, and the level of global security would rise
to an all-time high.” The reply was, “This is very interesting.”
But they ultimately rejected all our proposals.
Then
I said, “You understand that we will have to improve our offensive
arms systems to maintain a balance and to have
the ability to overcome your BMD systems.” They replied that they
were not developing the BMD systems to counter us, that we were free
to do as we pleased, and that they would not view our actions
as spearheaded against the US.
Megyn
Kelly: That happened right after 9/11, three months after 9/11.
Vladimir Putin: No, it was after the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty
in 2002, and the conversations I mentioned were
in 2003–2004.
Megyn
Kelly: At the time that happened, I believe you were quoted
as saying that you thought it was a mistake on the part
of the United States, but not a threat. Do you perceive
the United States as a threat today?
Vladimir Putin: We have always said that developing the missile defence system
creates a threat to us. We have always said that. Our American
partners would not publicly admit it, claiming that the system was
spearheaded mainly against Iran. But eventually, in conversations
and during talks they admitted that, of course, the system will
destroy our nuclear deterrence potential.
Imagine
the situation. What was the point of signing the treaty
back in 1972? The United States and the Soviet Union had
only two regions that they defended from missile attacks: one
in the United States and one in the Soviet Union. That
created a threat for a potential aggressor who would be struck
in response. In 2002, the United States said, “We do not need
this anymore. We will create anything we want, globally, all over
the world.”
Megyn
Kelly: Again, it was in the wake of 9/11, just to make
it clear. 9/11 happened on September 11, 2001,
and the United States was reassessing its security posture
in the world for good reason, wouldn’t you admit?
Vladimir Putin: No, not for good reason.This is complete nonsense. Because
the missile defence system protects from the kind of ballistic
missiles that no terrorists have in their arsenal. This is
an explanation for the housewives watching your programme. But
if these housewives can hear what I am saying, if you show it to them
and they hear me, they will understand that 9/11 and the missile
defence system are completely unrelated. To defend themselves from
terrorist attacks, the major powers must join their efforts against
the terrorists rather than create threats for each other.
Megyn
Kelly: About the weapon that you announced today, the ICBM, have
you actually tested it and it works? Because some analysts are suggesting
that you have tested it, and it failed. And that is why you only
showed animations of it today, and have not yet produced any actual
videos.
Vladimir Putin: I spoke about several systems today. Which one are you
referring to, the heavy-duty intercontinental ballistic missile?
Megyn
Kelly: Yes, the one that you claimed renders defence systems useless.
Vladimir Putin: All the systems I mentioned today easily overcome missile
defence. Each one of them. This is the point of all these
developments.
Megyn
Kelly: But you have tested it?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course.
Megyn
Kelly: And it worked?
Vladimir Putin: It did, very well.
Some
of these systems require additional work. Some of them are already
deployed. Some are in serial production.
Getting
back to the beginning of our conversation, there is
a missile defence system deployed in Alaska. The distance
between Russia’s Chukotka and Alaska is only 60 kilometres.
Two
systems are being deployed in Eastern Europe. One is already in place
in Romania. Construction of another one is almost finished
in Poland. There is also the navy. US ships are based very close
to Russian shores both in the south and the north.
Imagine
if we placed our missile systems along the US-Mexico
or the US-Canada border in their territories on both sides
and brought our ships in from both sides. What would you say? Would
you take action? Meanwhile we would respond that you are escalating
the arms race? Ridiculous, isn’t it? This is exactly what is happening.
Megyn
Kelly: Just to come back. Are you saying that we are
in a new arms race?
Vladimir Putin: I want to say that the United States, when it
withdrew from the ABM Treaty in 2002, forced us to begin
developing new weapon systems. We told our partners about it, and they
said, “Do whatever you like.” Fine, that is what we did – so enjoy.
Megyn
Kelly: You disclosed that Russia was developing an intercontinental
ballistic missile that was powered by nukes that could render defence
systems useless?
Vladimir Putin: Of course not. I did not know at the time how
we could respond, to be honest. So it seems that our partners believed we
would have nothing to respond with. Our economy was is dire straits,
as well as the defence sector and the army. Therefore,
I do not think anobody could have thought that in such a short
period of time we would be able to make such a gigantic leap
in the development of strategic weapons. I think
the CIA must have told the US President that we would not do anything
in response. While the Pentagon said something like, “And we
will develop a powerful cutting-edge global anti-missile system.” So they
did.
But
I will answer your question directly. I can tell you what we told our
American partners, what I said personally at the time.
Megyn
Kelly: Just to clarify, do you mean George W. Bush?
Vladimir Putin: Who was President in 2002, 2003 and 2004?
Megyn
Kelly: But did this happen continuously or just during that
timeframe?
Vladimir Putin: Actually, we kept going on about it for 15 years.
I said, almost literally, that we would not develop a system
of anti-missile defence the way you are doing. Firstly, because it is
too expensive, and we do not have the resources. And secondly,
we do not know yet how it would work: you do not know, and we certainly do
not either.
But,
to preserve the strategic balance so that you would not be able
to zero out our nuclear deterrence forces, we will develop strike systems
that will be able to break your anti-missile systems.
We
said this plainly and openly, without any aggression, I just told
stated we would do. Nothing personal.
And the response
was, “We are not doing this against you, but you do whatever you want
and we will presume that it is not directed against us, not against
the United States.”
Megyn
Kelly: Let us talk about present day and going forward, because what
you said today was that you would use these weapons if Russia or her
allies come under attack. And the question is whether you meant any
attack or only a nuclear attack on Russia or its allies?
Vladimir Putin: I heard you.
I would
also like to say that in 2004 – I mentioned this
today –I said at a news conference that we will be
developing weapons and even mentioned a concrete missile
system, Avangard as we call it.
It
is called Avangard now, but then I simply spoke of how it
would work. I openly said how it would work. We hoped that this would be
heard and the US would discuss it with us and discuss
cooperation. But no, it was as if they had not heard us. Strategic
offensive arms reduction and an antimissile defence system are
different things.
Megyn
Kelly: So, you didn’t feel like you needed to disclose.
Vladimir Putin: We will be reducing the number of delivery vehicles
and warheads under the New START Treaty. This means that
the numbers will be reduced on both sides, but at the same
time, one party, the United States, will be developing antimissile
systems.
This
will ultimately lead to a situation where all our nuclear missiles,
Russia’s entire missile potential will be reduced to zero. This is why we
have always linked this. This is how it was in the Soviet-American
times; these are natural things, everyone understands this.
Megyn
Kelly: But is it your contention that the 4,000 nukes that Russia now has
cannot penetrate the existing military defence system?
Vladimir Putin: They can. Today they can. But you are developing your antimissile
systems. Anti missiles’ range is increasing, and so is their accuracy.
These weapons are being upgraded. This is why we need to respond
to this appropriately, so that we are able to penetrate
the system not only today but also tomorrow, when you acquire new weapons.
Megyn
Kelly: That is why it would be a big deal if you really did have
a nuclear-powered ICBM, which people are questioning, whether you have
a usable one right now. When you said earlier that you have some that had
tested positively and were excellent, you said others had not. So,
for the record, right now, do you have a workable ICBM that is
powered by nukes that you have tested successfully?
Vladimir Putin: Look, I did not say that the testing of some
of these systems had been unsuccessful. All the tests were
successful. It is just that each of these weapon systems is
at a different stage of readiness. One is already on alert
duty in line units. Another is in the same status. The work
is proceeding on schedule with regard to some systems. We have no
doubt that they will be in service, just as we had no doubt
in 2004 that we would make a missile with the so-called cruise
glide re-entry vehicle.
You
have been referring all the time to intercontinental ballistic
missiles, new missiles…
Megyn
Kelly: You keep mentioning ICBMs.
Vladimir Putin: No. I am saying that we are developing just one brand of new
heavy missile, which will replace a missile that we call Voyevoda,
and you have dubbed it Satan. We will replace it with a new
and more powerful missile. Here it is: a ballistic missile. All
the other missiles are not ballistic.
Therein
lies the entire meaning of this, because any antimissile defence
system operates against ballistic missiles. But we have created a set
of new strategic weapons that do not follow ballistic trajectories
and the antimissile defence systems are powerless against them. This means
that the US taxpayers’ money has been wasted.
Megyn
Kelly: But again, you say that you are going to use these weapons,
these nuclear-powered weapons if Russia or its allies come under attack.
Any attack or only a nuclear one?
Vladimir Putin: There are two reasons why we would respond with our nuclear
deterrence forces: a nuclear attack on the Russian Federation
or a conventional attack on the Russian Federation, given
that it jeopardises the state’s existence.
Megyn
Kelly: That is consistent with the existing Russian doctrine
on the use of nuclear weapons.
Vladimir Putin: Exactly, there are two possible reasons for a nuclear
retaliation.
Megyn
Kelly: Are you interested in new talks to extend the new
strategic arms control treaty?
Vladimir Putin: The START-3 Treaty will expire soon. We are ready
to continue this dialogue. What do we consider important? We agree
to a reduction or to retaining current terms,
to a reduction in delivery vehicles and warheads. However,
today, when we are acquiring weapons that can easily breach all anti-ballistic
missile systems, we no longer consider the reduction of ballistic
missiles and warheads to be highly critical.
Megyn
Kelly: So will these weapons be part of those discussions?
Vladimir Putin: In the context that the number of delivery vehicles
and the number of warheads they can or will carry should,
of course, be included in the grand total. And we will show
you from a distance what this will look like.
Our
military experts know how to conduct these inspections. In this
sense, there are fine-tuned mechanisms and a sufficiently high level
of trust. Generally, military experts are working together professionally.
Politicians talk a lot, but military experts know what they are doing.
Megyn
Kelly: You are a politician
Vladimir Putin: I am also an officer, and I am
the Commander-in-Chief. I also served as a military
intelligence officer for 17 years.
Megyn
Kelly: Are you proud of that fact? Do you like the fact that you
were in the KGB? Do you like people to know that?
Vladimir Putin: I do not see it from an emotional perspective. This gave
me a lot of experience in the most diverse fields.
I found it useful when I moved on to the civilian
sector. Of course, this positive experience helped me in this sense.
Megyn
Kelly: How so? How did it help?
Vladimir Putin: You know, after I left the intelligence service,
I worked as Assistant Rector at St Petersburg University.
I worked with people, established contacts, motivated people to act
and brought them together. This is very important in the academic
environment. Later, I was Deputy Mayor of St Petersburg.
I assumed even greater and broader responsibility. I dealt with
St Petersburg’s international ties, and that is a metropolis with
a population of five million people. While working in this capacity
in St Petersburg, I first met Henry Kissinger. Of course, all
this helped me in my work at that time,
and my additional experience later helped me in my work
in Moscow.
Megyn
Kelly: Do you think it gives you an advantage over your adversaries
and your allies?
Vladimir Putin: It is hard for me to say. I have no other
experience. The only thing I know is that my partners, including
heads of state and government, are exceptional and outstanding
people. They have gone through stringent selection and elimination
procedures. There are no chance people at this level. And each
of them has his or her own advantages.
Megyn
Kelly: What about that? You have been in power for a long
time here in Russia, poised to go into another term
as president. You have had four American presidents come and go
during that time. I am wondering if you had a favourite, if there was
one you liked more than the others?
Vladimir Putin: I am sorry, but this is not a very tactful question. Each
of my partners is good in their own right. In all, we had
good relations with practically all of them. With Bill Clinton, though he
was leaving office, we were able to work together for several months.
Then with presidents Bush, Obama, and with the current President too,
but to a lesser extent, of course. All of them have
something to respect them for. At the same time, we can argue
and disagree with each other, and it happens often, we have diverging
views on many issues, even on key ones, but we nevertheless managed
to maintain normal, human relations. If it were not for that, it
would have been not only harder, but much worse for everyone.
Megyn
Kelly: How important do you think it is to project strength
as a President?
Vladimir Putin: It is important not to project strength, but to show it.
It is also important how we understand power. It does not mean banging
the table with a fist or yelling. I think power has several
dimensions.
Firstly,
one should be confident that he is doing the right thing. Secondly, he
must be ready to go all the way to achieve the goals.
Megyn
Kelly: I wonder this because one of the images that we see
of you in the United States is without the shirt
on a horse. What is that about?
Vladimir Putin: Well, I have breaks. There are your Russian colleagues, there
is the internet. But we do not do this on purpose. They take
the photos they like. I have lots of photos of me
in the office, working with documents, but nobody is interested
in them.
Megyn
Kelly: (Laughs.) You are saying they like the shirtless photos?
Vladimir Putin: You know, I have seen “photos” of me riding a bear.
I have not ridden a bear yet, but there are such photos already.
Megyn
Kelly: Now what about you personally? Your elections are coming up
in two weeks. You are 65 years old now. Most people would be slowing down
a little in their lives. Do you see that for yourself
at all in the future?
Vladimir Putin: First, there are many politicians around the world who are older
than I am and who are still working active.
Megyn
Kelly: Including in my country.
Vladimir Putin: Not only in the United States, in other countries,
too. There are many such people, in Europe and everywhere
in the world. But if a person assumes the highest offices,
he must work as if he is doing it for the first and last
day of his life.
There
is the Constitution. I have never violated it and have never
changed it. Of course, if voters give me the opportunity
to serve another term, I will do it to the best
of my ability
Megyn
Kelly: Last question for tonight, it is late. Forgive me; this may be
a long one. What do you see as your greatest accomplishment
as president and what do you see as your biggest mistake?
And what did you learn from it?
Vladimir Putin: You know, these would be very close.
Our
biggest achievement is that our economy has changed radically. It has almost
doubled in scale. The number of people living below
the poverty line has decreased by half.
At the same
time, the number of people living below the poverty line remains
large, and we must work on that. We must remove the gap between
people with very high and very low incomes. In this context, we have
many achievements and many unresolved issues.
Back
in the early 2000s, our population shrank by nearly
a million people a year. Can you imagine the scale
of the disaster? Almost 900,000 people. We have reversed this trend.
We have even achieved a natural population increase. We have very low
infant mortality, and we have reduced maternal mortality to almost
zero. We have prepared and are implementing a large-scale programme
of supporting mothers and children. Our life expectancy is growing
at a high rate.
Much
has changed in our economy. But we have not achieved our main economic
goal: we have not yet changed the economic structure as we need to.
We have not yet reached the required growth of labour efficiency. But
we know how to do it, and I am confident that we will do it.
The thing is that we had no opportunity to do this before, because
until recently we did not have the macroeconomic conditions
for taking specific measures in these areas.
At the beginning
of our path, inflation was about 30 percent, but now it is 2.2 percent.
Our gold and currency reserves are growing, and we have achieved
macroeconomic stability. This offers us an opportunity to take
the next step towards enhancing labour efficiency, attracting investment,
including private funds, and changing the structure of our
economy.
I am
talking in large blocks. There are also more specific areas, such
as modern technology and artificial intelligence, digitalisation,
biology, medicine, genome research, and so on.
Megyn
Kelly: Much more on the economy and how Russia is
doing – tomorrow, and on your re-election. Thank you so much
for your time. You have had a long day. I look forward
to meeting up with you in Kaliningrad.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
*
* *
Part
2, Kaliningrad, March 2, 2018
Megyn
Kelly: Mr President, good to see you again.
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.
Megyn
Kelly: So, we are here in Kaliningrad. Why is that? This is
a port that, I am told, could not be more threatening to NATO,
to Europe. It is a Russian military base. It is a Russian
military port. It is home to some of your nukes. Are you trying
to send a message?
President
of Russia Vladimir Putin: Why Kaliningrad? Because I regularly
visit Russian regions. This is one of these regions. This time,
I came here to attend a conference of the regional
media, which they decided to hold here. It was not my decision but
theirs, your colleagues from the Russian regional media. I have
an agreement with them that I attend such meetings once a year
and meet with them, and that is why I am here today. It does not
have anything to do with any external signals; it is our domestic affair.
Megyn
Kelly: Understood. So, the last time we met in June,
I asked you about the conclusion of our American intelligence
agencies that Russia interfered in our presidential election. You told me
that there was nothing specific in these reports, that if there is
anything specific, you said, then there will be something to discuss. You
told me, as they used to say in the KGB: addresses, houses,
names. Since then, 13 Russians and three Russian-owned companies have been
indicted by a special prosecutor named Robert Mueller
in the United States for interfering in our election.
The IRA agency, Yevgeny Prigozhin and others running a cyber
warfare operation out of an office at 55 Savushkina Street, St
Petersburg, Russia. Addresses, houses, names. So, can we have that discussion
now?
Vladimir Putin: Of course. We not only can but I think we must discuss
this issue if it keeps bothering you. But if you think that the question has
been asked, I am ready to answer it.
Megyn
Kelly: Why would you allow an attack like this
on the United States?
Vladimir Putin: What makes you think that the Russian authorities
and I gave our permission to anyone to do anything? You
just named some people; I have heard about some of them, some
of them I do not know, but they are just individuals, they do not
represent the Russian government. Even if we suppose, though I am not
100 percent certain, that they did something during the US presidential
election campaign (I simply do not know anything about it), it has nothing
to do with the position of the Russian government. Nothing
has changed since we spoke last time in St Petersburg. There are some
names, so what? It could just as well be some Americans who while living
here, interfered in your own political processes. It has not changed
anything.
Megyn
Kelly: But it was not Americans. It was Russians. And it was hundreds
of people, a monthly budget of 2.5 billion dollars, all designed
to attack the United States in a cyber warfare campaign.
You are up for re-election right now. Should the Russians be
concerned that you had no idea this was going on in your own home
country, in your own hometown?
Vladimir Putin: You know, the world is very large and diverse. We have
rather complicated relations between the United States
and the Russian Federation. And some of our people have
their own opinion on these relations and react accordingly
at the level of the Russian Government
and at the level of the Russian President. There has
never been any interference in the internal political processes
in the United States.
You
have named some individuals and said that they are Russian. So what?
Maybe, although they are Russian, they work for some American company.
Maybe one of them worked for one of the candidates.
I have no idea about this, these are not my problems. Do you know
that, for example, after the presidential election
in the US, some Ukrainian officials sent messages congratulating
Hillary Clinton, even though Trump had won? Listen, what do we have to do
with this?
Now,
in my opinion, Mr Manafort, that is his name, he was initially
accused of having something to do with Russia’s interference
in the presidential election in the United States. It
turned out that just the opposite was true: in fact, he had
connections to Ukraine. And he had some issues with Ukraine. What do
we have to do with this?
You
know, we have no desire to interfere in the internal affairs
of other countries. But if you are interested in talking about this,
I would like to widen the scope of our discussion.
Megyn
Kelly: I want to go through it. I do want to go
through it. If we can do it step by step that would be more clear
for the viewers who are following us. Let me ask you this: you say
the Russian Federation did not order it. Do you condone these activities?
Vladimir Putin: We do not condone or order. But I say that there are
internal political processes in the United States itself
and there are people who wanted to achieve some result. They could
have used some tools in other countries: such technologies exist. They
could have sent relevant information from France, from Germany, from Asia, from
Russia. What do we have to do with this?
Megyn
Kelly:But it was not the Russians.
Vladimir Putin: Well, all right, Russians, but they were not state officials. Well,
Russians, and so what? The are 146 million Russian people, so what?
Megyn
Kelly: What have you done to satisfy yourself with that fact?
Vladimir Putin: What fact?
Megyn
Kelly: What have you done to satisfy yourself that it was not
Russians? You suggest maybe it was Americans, maybe it was the French.
What have you done to satisfy yourself that the 13 Russian nationals
who have just been indicted, those three Russian companies, including, as you
pointed out, some of your close friends, were not behind this? This has
caused an international incident.
Vladimir Putin: I know that they do not represent the Russian state
or the Russian government. And I have no idea what they did
and what they were guided by. Even if they did something, then our
American colleagues should not just say something in interviews with
the media but give us specific data, with proof. We are ready
to consider it and talk about it. But you know what I would like
to say…
Megyn
Kelly: That would be great. Will you extradite them
to the United States?
Vladimir Putin: Never. Just like the United States, Russia does not extradite its
citizens anywhere. Have you ever extradited any of your citizens? This is
my first point.
Second,
I do not believe anything illegal was committed.
And,
third, we have repeatedly suggested that the United States and Russia
establish relations in this area and sign a corresponding
interstate treaty on extraditing criminals. The United States has
evaded this proposal and does not want to sign it with Russia. What
are you hoping for? That we will extradite people to you whereas you will
not? This is not a proper way to go about international affairs.
There
is more to it. Please listen to me and take to your viewers
and listeners what I am about to say. We are holding discussions
with our American friends and partners, people who represent
the government by the way, and when they claim that some
Russians interfered in the US elections, we tell them (we did so
fairly recently at a very high level): ”But you are constantly
interfering in our political life.“ Would you believe it, they are not
even denying it.
Do
you know what they told us last time? They said, ”Yes, we do interfere, but we
are entitled to do so, because we are spreading democracy, and you
are not, and so you cannot do it.“ Do you think this is a civilised
and modern approach to international affairs?
Yesterday,
you and I talked about nuclear weapons, and that once
the United States and the Soviet Union realised that they were
moving towards possible mutual destruction, they agreed on rules
of conduct in the security sphere given the availability
of weapons of mass destruction. Let us now agree on how
to behave in cyberspace, which never used to have such
a big role and scope.
Megyn
Kelly: Okay, so let me ask you: you have stated explicitly you believe
that America interfered in Russian elections, right?
Vladimir Putin: We made a proposal to the United States, our partners
back during President Obama’s watch: let us agree on how we build our
relations, develop common rules acceptable for all, and adhere
to them in cyberspace.
The first
reaction of the Obama Administration was negative, but then,
at the very end of his presidential term, they told us: ”Yes, it
is interesting, let us talk about it.“ But again, everything disappeared
and vanished in some swamp. Well, let us agree on this, we are
all for it.
Megyn
Kelly: Okay, so let me ask you: you have stated explicitly you believe that
America interfered in Russian elections, right?
Vladimir Putin: The US does this all the time.
Megyn
Kelly: But Russia did not interfere in America’s election?
Vladimir Putin: No, and there are no plans in Russia to do so. It is
impossible. It is impossible for us.
Megyn
Kelly: Why not? Why wouldn’t you?
Vladimir Putin: First, we have principles whereby we do not allow others
to interfere in our domestic affairs and do not poke our noses
into other people’s business. This is a principle we have. This is
the first point I wanted to make.
My second
point is that we do not have a comparable number of tools.
Megyn
Kelly: Come on. Come on.
Vladimir Putin: No, we simply cannot do that.
Megyn
Kelly: You told me just yesterday, because we were amping our missile defence
systems, we have to respond in kind with increased nuclear
technology. Now you want me to believe that we attacked your Russian
elections and you say, we are going to take that road.
Vladimir Putin: This is not a matter of missiles. This is a completely
different area.
In addition,
we lack the necessary instruments.
Megyn
Kelly: Cyber warfare.
Vladimir Putin: This is a completely different area of activity. It has
nothing to do with cyber warfare. Russia does not have the kind
of tools the US has. We do not have global media outlets comparable
to CNN. You think we do? We have Russia Today, and nothing else. This
is the only Russian media outlet, and even then, it was designated…
Megyn
Kelly: Is that cyber tools?
Vladimir Putin: You keep interrupting me, this is impolite.
Megyn
Kelly: Forgive me, sir.
Vladimir Putin: We have one media outlet, Russia Today, and even it was designated
as a foreign agent so that it is unable to do its work properly.
It is the only media outlet of this kind, while the US has
a whole range of outlets, and immense possibilities online. The internet
is yours. The United States control all the internet governance
tools, all located on US territory. Do you think that a comparison
can be made in any way? This is simply impossible. Let us come together
and agree on the rules of conduct in cyber space. But
it is the US who refuses to do so.
Megyn
Kelly: David and Goliath. The Mueller indictment is very
specific about what the Russians were doing. There is a specific
email, a damning email that is cited therein by a female Russian
who appears to have been caught red-handed. She says as follows, “We
had a slight crisis here at work. The FBI busted our activity.
Not a joke. So I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with
the colleagues. I created all these pictures and posts
and the Americans believe that it was written by their people.”
And now you want to sit here and say you do not have
the tools to do it? That we have the market cyber interference?
This is just not true.
Vladimir Putin: I do not even understand what you are talking about. You see, this
is just nonsense. The US Congress analysed the information from
Russian sources that appeared online. The information coming from media
outlets like Russia Today was also analysed and turned out to be one
hundredth of a percent of the overall information flow
in the United States, just one hundredth of a percent. Do
you think that this fraction had any impact on the election? This is
just nonsense, don’t you see? This is the same old business when
the people who lost refuse to admit it. You see, I have
commented on this on a number of occasions. It has yet
to be seen what the US policy toward Russia will be like under
the current administration. Many things remain unclear, since we have not
yet been able to start working or to establish normal contacts.
However,
it is absolutely clear that the current US President adopted
a specific stance in terms of domestic policy, and decided
to reach out to the people who were ready to support his
campaign promises. This is what led to his victory, not any kind
of outside interference. To claim otherwise makes no sense. Will
anyone believe that Russia, a country located thousands of kilometres
away, could use two or three Russians, as you have said,
and whom I do not know, to meddle in the elections
and influence their outcome? Don’t you think that it sounds ridiculous?
Megyn
Kelly: Now you are talking about causation. But I am still
on whether you did it. And it is not true that you do not know
the individuals who were accused of conducting this. One of your
good friends is actually accused of helping conduct this. His name is
Yevgeny Prigozhin. Do you know him?
Vladimir Putin: I know this man, but he is not a friend of mine.
This is just twisting the facts. There is such a businessman; he
works in the restaurant business or something. But he is not
a state official; we have nothing to do with him.
Megyn
Kelly: After you heard about him being indicted, did you pick up
the phone and call him?
Vladimir Putin: Certainly not.I have plenty of other things to worry
about.
Megyn
Kelly: He is your friend. He has been indicted.
Vladimir
Putin: Did you hear what I just said? He is not my friend.
I know him, but he is not a friend of mine. Was I not
clear? There are many people like that. There are 146 million people in Russia.
That is less than in the US, but it is still a lot.
Megyn
Kelly: He is a prominent businessman.
Vladimir Putin: A prominent businessman? So what? There are many prominent
people in Russia. He is not a state official, he does not work
for the government; he is an individual, a businessman.
Megyn
Kelly: Some people say his real job is to do your dirty work.
Vladimir
Putin: Who are those people? And what dirty work? I do not do
any dirty work. Everything I do is in plain view. This is your
prerogative; some people in your country enjoy doing dirty work. You think
we do the same. That is not true.
Megyn
Kelly: It is a) the fact that you know him, you admit that. He is
a prominent Russian businessman. And he is specifically accused
of running this operation; b) this is the same man who has been
accused of sending Russian mercenaries into Syria and they attacked
a compound held by American back militia. This guy gets around.
Vladimir Putin: You know, this man could have a wide range of interests,
including, for example, an interest in the Syrian fuel
and energy complex. But we do not support him in any way. We do not
get in his way but we do not support him either. It is his own personal
initiative.
Megyn
Kelly: You did not know about it?
Vladimir Putin: Well, I know that there are several companies, several Russian
companies there, maybe his among others, but this has nothing to do with
our policy in Syria. If he does anything there, he does not coordinate it
with us; he probably coordinates it with the Syrian authorities
or the Syrian businesses he works with. We do not interfere
in this. Does your government interfere in every step your businesses
take, especially small businesses? It is essentially a medium-sized
business. So, does your president interfere in the affairs
of every medium-sized US business? That is just nonsense, isn’t it?
Megyn
Kelly: If the 13 Russian nationals plus three Russian companies did
in fact interfere in our elections, is that okay with you?
Vladimir Putin: I do not care. I do not care at all because they do
not represent the government.
Megyn
Kelly: You do not care?
Vladimir Putin: Not at all. They do not represent state interests. If you are
worried about anything, state it officially, send us documents proving it
and explain what exactly those people are accused of. We will see if they
have violated Russian laws…
Megyn
Kelly: I did that.
Vladimir Putin: No, this is not true. If they violated Russian law, we will
prosecute them. If they did not, there is nothing to prosecute them for in Russia.
But after all, you must understand that people in Russia do not live under
US law but under Russian law. This is how it is. If you want to reach
an agreement with us, let us negotiate, choose the subject, make an agreement
and sign it. But you refuse to do this. I am telling you
for the third time: we have proposed working together
on cyberspace issues. But the US refuses to work like this
and instead throws 13 Russians to the media. Maybe they are not
even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian
citizenship, which should also be checked: maybe they have dual citizenship
or a Green Card; maybe, the US paid them for this. How can
you know that? I do not know either.
Megyn
Kelly: I will give you one piece of evidence. Andrei Krutskikh
is an advisor to the Kremlin when it comes to cyber issues.
In his speech to an information security forum in February
2016, he reportedly said, quote, “I am warning you. We are
on the verge of having something in the information
arena which will allow us to talk to the Americans
as equals.” What do you think he meant? Because it certainly sounds like
a threat right before an election hack.
Vladimir Putin: Sometimes I think you are joking.
Megyn
Kelly: No, I am deadly serious.
Vladimir Putin: A man says something about how he sees our contacts
and our work with our foreign partners, the US in this case,
in a certain area. I have no idea what he said. Ask him what he
meant. Do you think I control everything?
Megyn
Kelly: He is an advisor to the Kremlin on cyber.
Vladimir Putin: So what? There are 2,000 people working
in the administration; do you think I control everyone? Peskov
is sitting in front of me, he is my press secretary and he
sometimes says things that I see on television and think, what
is he talking about? Who told him to say this?
I have
no idea what he said. Ask him. Do you really think I can comment
on everything administration or government personnel say? I have
my own work to do.
Megyn
Kelly: I think when it comes to our two countries you know
exactly what is going on. And this is Russia’s problem now. It is.
The heads of the US intelligence agencies just testified
to Congress that Russia, Russia poses the greatest threat
in the world to the American security, greater than ISIS. You
cannot get the sanctions lifted. The relationship between our two
countries is nearly non-existent right now. Did not this interference, whether
you knew or you did not know about it, backfire against Russia?
Vladimir Putin: Listen, you are exaggerating. I do not know about someone
saying something and I am not going to comment on it,
and neither do I follow what is going on at your Congress.
I am
more interested in what is going on at the State Duma, if
they have approved a bill on a healthcare or utilities
issue; if they delay certain discussions or not. Is a special
interest lobbying against a nature conservation, or forestry,
or environmental law? This is what I am interested in. You should
follow what they are discussing in Congress; I have enough on my plate
without that.
Megyn
Kelly: You know that the sanctions have not been lifted. You know
that the relationship between our two countries is at not
an all-time low but is getting there. And this is in part
the reason. And so, Russian interference in the American
elections is important.
Vladimir Putin: Listen, sanctions have nothing to do with the myth
of some Russian interference in the US election. Sanctions are
about something else entirely: the desire to halt Russia’s progress,
to contain Russia. This policy of containing Russia has been pursued
for decades, on and off. Now it is back. It is a misguided
policy, which not only affects Russian-US relations but also US businesses
because it frees up space for their competitors on our market.
You
and I were at the St Petersburg Economic Forum.
The largest business delegation was from the US. People want
to work with us, but they are not allowed to; they are contained
in order to contain Russia. They have been contained
and contained so that our defence industry cannot develop, among other
things. We discussed this yesterday. Did they manage to achieve anything?
No, they did not: they have never managed to contain Russia and never
will. It is simply, you know, an attempt with tools that…
Megyn
Kelly: Can we contain Russia in cyber warfare?
Vladimir Putin: I think it is impossible to contain Russia anywhere. You
need to understand this. Listen, you cannot even contain North Korea. What
are you talking about? Why would you do that? Why do we have to contain, attack
or cast suspicion on each other? We are offering cooperation.
Megyn
Kelly: That is my question to you. That is my question
to you. Why, why would you interfere in our election time
and time again? And why would not you, for that matter? Let me
put it to you that way. You have spent a day, every time I have
seen you, in St Petersburg, in Moscow and now here
in Kaliningrad, telling me that America has interfered in Russia’s
electoral process and that Russia has a robust cyber warfare arsenal.
And yet you want us to believe that you did not deploy it. Do you
understand how implausible that seems, sir?
Vladimir Putin: That does not seem implausible to me at all, because we
do not have such a goal, to interfere. We do not see what we have
to gain by interfering. There is no such goal. Let us suppose this
was our goal. Why, just for the sake of it? What is
the goal?
Megyn
Kelly: Creating chaos. That is the goal.
Vladimir Putin: Listen to me. Not long ago President Trump said something
absolutely correct. He said that if Russia’s goal was to sow chaos, it has
succeeded. But it is not the result of Russian interference, but your
political system, the internal struggle, the disorder
and division. Russia has nothing to do with it whatsoever. Get your
own affairs in order first. And the way the question is
framed, as I mentioned – that you can interfere anywhere because
you bring democracy, but we cannot – is what causes conflicts. You have
to show your partners respect, and they will respect you.
Megyn
Kelly: You once said, Mr President, that you believed
the interference in our election was done by some patriotic
Russians. An answer like that, you understand, will lead people
to ask, are you the patriotic Russian?
Vladimir Putin: I am the President of the Russian Federation.
It is my constitutional duty to address a host of issues
concerning the protection of Russia’s interests. When I spoke
of patriotic people, I meant that you can imagine that,
in the face of a deteriorating Russian-US relationship,
people – and people use cyberspace – will express their points
of view, their opinions, including on this global network.
Of course, they are free to do so. How can we really prohibit it? But
we cannot control it and, most importantly, we are not directing it. Please note
that this is not the position of the Russian state.
Megyn
Kelly: You cannot? The Russian intelligence services cannot find out
who is doing this, bring it to your attention? You are unable to stop
it?
Vladimir Putin: Perhaps if we looked into it carefully we would find those people,
if they exist. But we have no such goal. We propose holding official talks
and you refuse. So what do you want? For us to open
investigations just because Congress said so? Let us sit down, sign
an agreement on working in cyberspace and comply with it.
How do you want to do it? There is no other way of conducting
international affairs.
Megyn
Kelly: So you have no goal to stop it. So what does that mean
for our elections in 2018 and 2020? We can expect more
of the same?
Vladimir
Putin: I did not say that stopping it is not a goal. I said
we had…
Megyn
Kelly: You just said that.
Vladimir Putin: No, I did not. I said we do not interfere in our
people’ private lives and cannot stop them from expressing their opinion,
including on the internet. But I also said that Russia’s
official position is that we do not interfere in the political
processes of other countries as a state. That is the most
important part. I want it to be recorded in our conversation
today, for people in the US to understand this.
Megyn
Kelly: And forgive me, but I am trying to get to one
level below that, whether you have the goal of stopping your own
citizens from behaving in this manner, which has undermined relationships
between our two countries?
Vladimir Putin: I want to say that we will stand in the way
of everything that violates Russian law or our international
agreements. For the third or fourth time, I will say that
we are ready to sign a corresponding agreement with the United
States. You still refuse. Let us sit down at the negotiating table,
identify what we consider important, sign the document and comply
with it with proper verification.
Megyn
Kelly: You are the President, sir. Respectfully, I still did not
hear an answer about whether you want to crack down
on the Russians who committed those crimes. It sounds like
the answer is no. If I am wrong, please correct me. I understand
you want a negotiation with the United States directly. But
internally, you could put a stop to this if you had the desire.
Vladimir Putin: I want you to listen to me. We will counter anything
that violates current Russian law. If the actions of our
citizens – no matter what they are and whom they target –
violate current Russian laws, we will respond. If they do not violate Russian
law, we cannot respond.
Megyn
Kelly With this?
Vladimir Putin: With anything. If no Russian law has been broken, no one can be
held accountable.
Megyn
Kelly:Will this violate Russian law?
Vladimir Putin: I must look at what they have done. Give us the materials. Nobody has given us anything.
Megyn
Kelly: You know this. Hacking into the Democratic National Committee,
hacking into John Podesta’s email, creating interference in our election
by creating bots that spread false information on Twitter,
on Facebook. Spreading this information when it comes to Black Lives
Matter, when it comes to the shooting we just had in Parkland,
Florida, when it comes to our presidential election. Spreading fake news
in order to alter the course of the presidential race.
That is what I am talking about.
Vladimir Putin: With all due respect for you personally
and for the body of the people’s representatives,
the US Congress – and we treat all these people with
respect – I want you to really understand this. Do you have
people with training in law? Of course, you do. One hundred percent.
Highly educated people. We cannot even launch an investigation without
cause. Our conversation today or an inquiry in the US
Congress is not sufficient cause. Give us at least an official
inquiry with a statement of facts, send us an official paper.
After all, a conversation on air cannot be grounds
for an investigation.
Megyn
Kelly: The intelligence agencies in the United States, now
a special prosecutor with a criminal indictment – that is not
enough for you to look into it?
Vladimir Putin: Absolutely not. If you do not have legal training, I can
assure you that an inquiry is required for this.
Megyn
Kelly I do.
Vladimir Putin: Then you should understand that a corresponding official
inquiry should be sent to the Prosecutor-General’s Office
of the Russian Federation. That said, we do not even have
a treaty on how to proceed. But send us something
in writing at least.
Megyn
Kelly: Vladimir Putin could not order an investigation into whether this was
done in a way that undermines its relations with a major
partner, the United States of America?
Vladimir Putin: Give us something in writing, an official inquiry. We
will look at it.
Megyn
Kelly: You said that the last time and now I am back with
an indictment.
Vladimir Putin: There is nothing in writing. Send an inquiry
to the Prosecutor-General’s Office. It is necessary to go
through official channels rather than with the help of the media
and harsh words in the US Congress, levelling accusations
against us that are totally unsubstantiated. Give us something in writing.
Megyn
Kelly: Let me ask you this: you were President back in 2001 when
the FBI arrested one of its own, Robert Hanssen, for spying
for the Russian Federation. In retaliation, President George W.
Bush kicked 50 illegit Russian spies out of the United States,
and the Kremlin did the same, throwing 50 Americans out
of the US Embassy in Moscow immediately. This is
a tradition that goes back for decades. December 2016: after our
intelligence agencies agreed that Russians interfered in our election
President Obama expelled dozens of Russians and seized two
Russian-owned properties. And yet, you did nothing, you did nothing
in response. Why not?
Vladimir Putin: We believed and I still believe that there were no grounds
for this whatsoever. This is the first point.
Secondly,
this was done in clear violation of international law
and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The totally groundless seizure of our property constitutes
a flagrant violation of international law. We were strongly hoping
for a response from the new Administration. But since none is
forthcoming – and I have already said this
and the Foreign Minister repeated this – we will turn
to the appropriate courts of the United States
to protect our interests.
Megyn
Kelly: Let me ask you about President Trump. Any time he says anything about
you it is supremely deferential. Never a harsh word for you. Although
if you look at the ways he speaks about members of his own
party, even members of his own staff, never mind of the other
political leaders, he frequently personally insults them. Why do you think he
is so nice to you?
Vladimir Putin: This is not about being nice to me personally,
in my view. I think he is an experienced person,
a businessman with very extensive experience and he understands that
if you need to partner with someone, you must treat your future
or current partner with respect, otherwise nothing will come of it.
I think this is a purely pragmatic approach. This is my first
point.
Second,
even though this is his first term as President, he is a quick study,
and he understands perfectly well that trading accusations or insults
at our level is a road to nowhere. It would just mean depriving
our countries of their last chance for dialogue, simply the last
chance. This would be extremely unfortunate.
You
may have noticed that I, for my part, show respect to him
and all my other colleagues, not only in the United States,
but also Europe and Asia.
Megyn
Kelly: You may, but the truth is our President has referred
to the leader of North Korea as “little rocket man.” So he
is not quite as diplomatic depending on who he is talking about.
I am sure you saw that, yes?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I did. You are aware of our position on that account. We urge everyone to show restraint.
Megyn
Kelly: So what do you think of President Trump?
Vladimir Putin: The question is not entirely appropriate, because President Trump’s
work should be assessed by his constituents, the American people.
There is one thing I would like to say: like it or not – we
may dislike certain things as well – he does his best to keep
the election promises that he made to the American people. So,
he is consistent in this sense. I think that, in fact, this is
the only proper way to show respect for the people who
voted for him.
Megyn
Kelly: He has praised your leadership. Is he an effective leader?
Vladimir Putin: Well, again, this is up to the American people to decide.
He has strong leadership qualities, of course, because he takes
responsibility when he makes decisions. To reiterate, whether some people
like his decisions or not, he still goes ahead and does it. This,
of course, is a sign of leadership qualities.
Megyn
Kelly: Do you ever read his tweets?
Vladimir Putin: No, I do not.
Megyn
Kelly: Do you ever tweet?
Vladimir Putin: No.
Megyn
Kelly: Why not?
Vladimir Putin: I have other means of expressing my point of view
or making decisions. Well, Donald is a more modern person.
Megyn
Kelly: Would you say he is more colourful than you are?
Vladimir Putin: Maybe.
Megyn
Kelly: Let me ask you one question going back to the election
interference issue. There are two theories on you at least. One is
that when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State you felt that she
interfered with the elections here in 2011 and 2012, inciting
protests here, including against you and it made you angry. Two is when
the Panama Papers were leaked showing a massive money trail that led
to you and some of your associates that that was the last
drop for you. Do either of those things make you angry?
Vladimir Putin: This is complete nonsense. Speaking about Hillary, I know her
personally, and we generally always maintained a good dialogue every
time we met. I cannot understand why at some stage… Her advisers
probably suggested that she focus part of her election campaign
on criticising developments in Russia. Well, it was their choice.
I never took it personally. It was just their policy.
As for all
those files, this is complete nonsense. They mention some
of my friends. So what? As you know, this has had no effect
whatsoever. This is nothing but nonsense and media chatter. I have
forgotten all about it. I do not remember what it was all about. Actually,
nothing of this kind can make me angry. I am guided by pragmatic
considerations, not emotions.
Megyn
Kelly: Since you mention it, a friend of yours was mentioned
in those Panama Papers. Let me ask you about him. Sergei Roldugin. Legend
has it that this guy introduced you to your ex-wife, that he is
the godfather to one of your daughters. He is a cellist
by trade, right?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I know him very well. He is a friend
and a wonderful musician. He has devoted his life to art
and music. By the way, many artists here are also involved
in business one way or another. Apart from me, Sergey also has other
ties in the country, including business people who have involved him
in this work. He has made his money legally. He has not made hundreds
of billions [of dollars]. Everything he earned he has spent
on the purchase of musical instruments abroad, which he has
brought to Russia. He uses some of these instruments personally,
for example the cello. He plays the cello.
Megyn
Kelly: A $12 million Stradivarius.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, something like that. But it is a unique instrument.
Megyn
Kelly: That is a lot of money.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, it is. He must be eccentric, but then, all artists are
eccentric. To spend all this money on musical instruments.
I think he bought two cellos and two violins. He plays one himself
and has given the others to other musicians, who are playing
them. He has brought all these instruments to Russia.
Megyn
Kelly: According to the Panama Papers, this mass of series
of leaked documents about offshore bank accounts, he has got assets, this
cellist, of at least a $100 million, including a one-eighth
stake in Russia’s biggest TV ad agency, a $6 million yacht,
a stake in a truck manufacturer, a 3-percent interest
in a Russian bank. He must be one heck of a musician.
Vladimir Putin: Well, I know nothing about his business, but I do know
that he has only enough money to buy these musical instruments. All
the rest is on paper. He does not have anything else apart from what
he has bought. Maybe he does have something else, but you should ask him about
it. I do not control his life.
Megyn
Kelly: But the question is how a cellist makes that much money?
People ask it because many people believe that is really your money.
Vladimir Putin: Listen, just look at many Russian art figures, and probably
there are people like this in your country as well. After all, there
are art personalities in the US, including Hollywood celebrities who
either run restaurants or own some stock. Aren’t there many people like
this in the US entertainment industry and art world? I am
sure that there are many people of this kind, and more than
in Russia. In Russia, there are also quite a few art figures who
do business apart from their creative work. In fact, there are many such
people, and he is just one of them. So what? The question is not
whether he runs a business or not or whether he made
a profit or not. The question is whether there were any
violations. As far as I know, he did not commit any violations.
Megyn
Kelly: That is right. There is no issue with making money. I am
an American, we are capitalists. The question is whether that is
really your money.
Vladimir Putin: This is not my money, that is for sure. I do not even
know how much Mr Roldugin has, as I have already said. As far
as I know, he has not committed any violations in his business
and creative undertakings, he did not violate any Russian law
or norm.
Megyn
Kelly: Speaking of money, back in the 1980s and 1990s,
in the wake of multiple bankruptcies, the Trump
Organisation found it hard to secure loans in the United States
and looked elsewhere. Mr Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said that ten
years ago and I quote, “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate
cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot
of money pouring in from Russia.” Were you aware
of the degree of Russian money flowing into properties?
Vladimir Putin: This is all nonsense. There were no investments in Trump properties
in Russia, as far as I know. I do not even know if
there were any serious plans for making these investments.
Megyn
Kelly: Come on.
Vladimir Putin: Look, you keep thinking that the whole world revolves around you.
That is not the way it is.
Megyn
Kelly: It is not about me. It is about what Donald Trump Jr. says.
Vladimir Putin: Do you think we know everything what Donald Trump’s son has said? You
see, this is not the way things are. Donald came here to Russia when
he was not even nominated. I did not even know that he had been
to Russia. I learned about it only afterwards, when I was told
that as it turned out he had been to Russia. By the same
token, I ignore what his son said on this occasion. Did Donald Trump’s
son infringe on any rules or laws? If so, charge him. If he did not,
why do you keep picking on every word?
Megyn
Kelly: Years ago, before Donald Trump ran for president, he said he knew
you and he spoke with you a lot. Is that true?
Vladimir Putin: No, I had never met him. You mean before he became President
and before he decided to run for President, right?
Megyn
Kelly: Before he ran.
Vladimir Putin: No, we had not met. We never talked to each other, neither
by phone or otherwise.
Megyn
Kelly: You are poised to be re-elected for your fourth term
as president here in Russia, right?
Vladimir Putin: We will see what the Russian voters decide.
Megyn
Kelly: How does somebody like Vladimir Putin, who is as popular
as you are here in Russia, feel any threat from Navalny?
I realise he has got in legal trouble, but could you pardon this guy
and let him mount a meaningful challenge to you?
Vladimir Putin: As for the question about whom I could work together
with and whom I would not want to work together with, I can
tell you in all honesty that I would like to and am ready
to work with people who want Russia to become a stronger, more
effective, competitive and self-reliant country. But to achieve that,
the people we are talking about should have a clear plan of action
designed to promote national development in today’s environment.
There are people like that, including …
Megyn
Kelly: But Navalny is such as man and has a fair amount
of popularity here in Russia.
Vladimir Putin: Any person can be pardoned if he deserves it.
Megyn
Kelly: Why don’t you?
Vladimir Putin: If he deserves it. There are no exceptions for anyone. No
exceptions. But we are not talking about pardon now; we are talking about
certain political forces. They do not have a development programme
for the country. What do they have that is positive and what
I like? That they expose problems, and this is actually good, this is
the right thing to do, and it needs to be done. But this is
not enough for the country’s progressive development, simply not enough.
Because focusing on problems is not enough; moreover, it is even
dangerous, because it can lead to destruction, while we need creation.
Megyn
Kelly: Our political analysts tell me you are exactly right about your chances
in the upcoming election, that you have no meaningful opponents so
you will likely win. What is next after that? The Chinese President just
abolished term limits. Is that something you would ever do?
Vladimir Putin: I do not think that I should talk about my political
plans with you now at this meeting, in this conversation, in this
interview for American television. But I think I told you
yesterday, I never changed the Constitution or adjusted it
to my needs, and I do not have any such plans today.
As for China,
before criticising decisions in a country like China, you need
to think and recall that there are 1.5 billion people living there
and, after thinking about it, you need to come to the conclusion
that we all are interested in China being a stable
and prosperous state. How it should be done best, it is probably up
to the Chinese people and the Chinese leadership.
Megyn
Kelly: Can you leave power? Because some of the experts that we have
spoken to have said it would be near impossible for you because
someone in your position would likely either be thrown in jail
by your adversaries or worse. They say it is actually sad that you
will have to stay in power in order to stay well.
Vladimir Putin: What your so-called experts say is their wishful thinking. I have
heard a lot of nonsense like this. Why do you think that I will
necessarily be succeeded by people ready to destroy everything
I have done in recent years? Maybe, on the contrary,
a government will come to power determined to strengthen Russia,
to create a future for it, to build a platform
for development for the new generations. Why have you suddenly
decided that some destroyers would arrive and wipe out whatever they can?
Maybe there are people who would like this, including in the United
States. But I do not think they are right, because the United States,
I think, should be more interested in the other option –
in Russia being a stable, prosperous and developing country,
I mean if you really can look at least 25–50 years ahead.
Megyn
Kelly: Have you groomed a successor? Is there anyone in mind?
Vladimir Putin: I have been thinking about this since 2000. Thinking is not
a crime, but in the end, the choice will still be up
to the Russian people. Whether I like or hate someone,
other candidates will run for president and eventually
the citizens of the Russian Federation will make the final
decision.
Megyn
Kelly: Let me ask you a bit about Syria. Do you believe
the chemical weapon attacks in Syria are fake news?
Vladimir Putin: Of course.
Firstly,
the Syrian Government destroyed its chemical weapons long ago.
Secondly,
we know about the militants’ plans to simulate chemical attacks
by the Syrian army.
And thirdly,
all the attempts that have been made repeatedly in the recent
past, and all the accusations were used to consolidate
the efforts against Assad. We are aware of these goings-on,
and they are not interesting. One wants to say, “Boring.”
Megyn
Kelly: The bodies of dead children thanks to sarin gas
attacks? That is boring?
Vladimir Putin: Are you sure that these deaths are the result of chemical
attacks by the Syrian Government? I, on the contrary, blame
this on the criminals and radicals, on the terrorists
who are staging these crimes in order to lay the blame
on President Assad.
Megyn
Kelly: That is not what the United Nations has concluded. They
autopsied the bodies of the dead children. Your Foreign Minister
suggested it was all made up. Do you believe that?
Vladimir Putin: Of course. I am absolutely sure that it was. Because
there was no serious investigation.
Megyn
Kelly: There were no dead bodies?
Vladimir Putin: Maybe there were dead bodies, which is to be expected
in a war. Look how they liberated Mosul: it was razed
to the ground. Look how they liberated Raqqa: the dead have not
yet been removed from the ruins or buried. Do you want to talk
about this?
Megyn
Kelly: That is what we call whataboutism. That is you pointing
to somebody else’s bad behaviour to justify your wrong or that
of your ally. We are talking about Assad and dead children thanks
to sarin gas. Sarin gas. And you are telling an international
audience it never happened?
Vladimir Putin: Look here, to be sure that this was indeed how it happened,
a thorough investigation must be conducted and evidence must be
gathered at the site. Nothing of this has been done. Let us do
this.
Megyn
Kelly: Let us do it. They wanted to investigate the helicopters
and the UN wanted to go and check the helicopters that
were on site. And Russia said no. Russia said no. Why?
Vladimir Putin: There was nothing of the kind. Russia did not say “No.”
Russia is for a full-scale investigation. If you do not know this,
I am telling you this now. It is not true that we are against
an objective investigation. That is a lie. It is a lie just
as the vial with the white substance that allegedly proved that
Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which the CIA gave to the US
Secretary of State. He later apologised, but the damage had been
done, the country had been ruined. This is yet another piece of fake
news, which has no substance behind it. An investigation should be
conducted to gather the substance. We are in favour of such
an investigation.
Megyn
Kelly: Since the beginning of the year, there have been
at least four chlorine-based chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Our
Secretary of State Tillerson just said that Russia bears
the responsibility for this given your earlier promises to reign
in chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Your response?
Vladimir Putin: I will tell you that a) we have nothing to do with this,
and that we demand a full-scale investigation.
As for crimes,
go back to Raqqa and at least bury the dead bodies, which
are still lying amid the ruins after the air strikes
at residential neighbourhoods there. And investigate these attacks.
This will give you something to do.
Megyn
Kelly: One of the questions that our audiences have is how do we walk
this back? How do we get to the place where these two great nations
are less adversaries and something closer to allies, which we clearly
are not right now. Do you agree we are not?
Vladimir Putin: Unfortunately, we are not. But we were not the ones who made
the US our adversary. It was the US, the US Congress, who called
Russia its adversary. Why did you do that? Did Russia impose sanctions
on the United States? No, it was the US that imposed sanctions
on us.
Megyn
Kelly: You know why.
Vladimir Putin: No, I do not. Can I ask you a different question?
Why did you encourage the government coup in Ukraine? Why did you do that?
The US directly acknowledged spending billions of dollars to this end. This was openly acknowledged by US officials.
Why do they support government coups and armed fighting in other countries? Why has the US deployed missile systems along our borders?
Why did you encourage the government coup in Ukraine? Why did you do that?
The US directly acknowledged spending billions of dollars to this end. This was openly acknowledged by US officials.
Why do they support government coups and armed fighting in other countries? Why has the US deployed missile systems along our borders?
Listen,
Russia and the US should sit down and talk it over in order
to get things straight. I have the impression that this is what
the current President wants, but he is prevented from doing it by some
forces. But we are ready to discuss any matter, be it missile-related
issues, cyberspace or counterterrorism efforts. We are ready to do it
any moment. But the US should also be ready. The time will come when
the political elite in the US will be pushed by public
opinion to move in this direction. We will be ready the instant
our partners are ready.
Megyn
Kelly: Before I leave you, what do you hope your legacy will be?
Vladimir Putin: I strongly believe that my legacy would be to create
a powerful development momentum for Russia, and make
the country a resilient and balanced democracy that is able
to benefit from the latest advances of the technology
revolution. We will keep up our efforts to improve our political system
and the judiciary. And I am certain that all this, taken
together, would strengthen the unity of the Russian Federation
and the unity of our people, and enable us to move
forward with confidence for years to come.
Megyn
Kelly: Mr President, thank you very much for having us here.
Vladimir
Putin: Thank you.
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