The security of the county is an absolute priority, the Russian president has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied claims by his former US counterpart, Donald Trump, that he had threatened him with a strike against Moscow, dismissing the comment as election campaign talk.
Putin made the remarks at press conference following the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. Asked whether Trump’s claims in a recent interview were true, the president replied that the idea of trying to threaten Russia is counterproductive.
“You can threaten anyone. It’s pointless to threaten Russia, since this only emboldens us,” Putin said, suggesting Trump’s comments were mere campaign talk that shouldn’t be taken “too seriously.”
The Russian president stressed that the security of the country remains an absolute priority for him.
The former US president and current Republican candidate made the statement in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday, claiming he had told the Russian leader that “if you go after Ukraine, I am going to hit you so hard, you’re not even going to believe it. I’m going to hit you right in the middle of fricking Moscow… We’re friends. I don’t want to do it, but I have no choice.”
At the same time, Putin commended Trump’s repeated promises to bring the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to an end. Moscow welcomes any peace initiatives regardless of who presents them, he said, reiterating the country’s readiness to take part in peace talks.
“What Mr. Trump spoke about quite recently, what I heard – he spoke about the desire to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine – it seems to me that he spoke sincerely. Of course, we welcome such statements, no matter who they come from,” Putin stated.
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