Russian President Vladimir Putin today responded to criticism from the West over his actions in Ukraine and vowed to counter any new U.S. sanctions.
Putin, who spoke a day after the G7 Summit in Quebec, told reporters that his government is ready to continue discussions on Ukraine and are willing to create a “real multilateral law enforcement mechanism.”
However, Putin called President Trump’s claim that Russia’s military in Ukraine was not interfering with the political process as unfounded. He said that Trump’s statements have been “grossly distorted by some people and channels” and that the president’s statements show he prefers “sour grapes” over an alliance that does its best to keep its distance from the Russian leader.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Putin said, adding, “Why does Trump go around berating America’s allies? It is absolutely obvious that he prefers sour grapes.”
U.S. officials said that Russia was directly responsible for the missile attack that led to the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet by a Russian-supplied missile system in 2014.
The Russian president said he still believes the “full facts” must be made public, and that Ukraine must give “full guarantees of non-interference in the country’s internal affairs.”
Putin also suggested that NATO’s military training of Ukraine’s military could lead to “closer cooperation in the field of information operations.”
Ahead of the summit, Trump denied involvement in what he called a “military competition with Russia,” despite having increased sanctions on Moscow earlier this year.
It is very much time that President Putin and Russia dealt with the horrible record of having poisoned many, many people in the UK. It is very sad that a country that has become so rich by its terrible trade deals with the U.S. and other countries is now fighting us on the (sic) border. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
I have great confidence that Russia will NEVER be able to hit us again on the economic front – thanks to our great work! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
Putin, meanwhile, called Trump’s “artificial feud” with NATO “ill-thought-out” and “inappropriate.”
“I think the coalition is better off without Trump as a poodle. The more he talks, the more trouble NATO is in,” he said.
Putin was traveling to Portugal on Thursday to give a formal address at the European Union summit. It comes on the heels of the North American summit in Canada in which Trump exchanged barbs with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, more than once calling him “dishonest” and “weak.”
.@peterfuss: How did Putin do today? pic.twitter.com/lte9OyNnMk — Fox News (@FoxNews) May 31, 2018
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