Putin: U.S. ‘hysteria’ over Russia is election ploy

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Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump during his annual press conference in Moscow, on December 17, 2015.  singled him out as an absolute leader.  (AFP Photo/Natalia Kolesnikova)
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump during his annual press conference in Moscow, on December 17, 2015. singled him out as an absolute leader. (AFP Photo/Natalia Kolesnikova)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused American politicians of whipping up hysteria about a mythical Russian threat as a ploy to distract voters from their own failings in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election.

Putin, addressing an audience of foreign policy experts gathered in southern Russia, repeatedly lashed out at the Obama administration, saying it did not keep its word on Syria, did not honour deals, and had falsely accused Moscow of all manner of sins.

The U.S. government has formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organisations, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has accused Republican rival Donald Trump of being a Putin “puppet”.

Putin said he found it hard to believe that anyone seriously thought Moscow was capable of influencing the Nov. 8 election.

“Hysteria has been whipped up,” said Putin.

He said that was a ruse to cover up for the fact that the U.S. political elite had nothing to say about serious issues such as the country’s national debt or gun control.

U.S. IS “GREAT POWER”

“It’s much simpler to distract people with so-called Russian hackers, spies, and agents of influence. Does anyone really think that Russia could influence the American people’s choice in any way? Is America a banana republic or what? America is a great power.”

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest dismissed Putin’s remarks as predictable and said the United States stood by its hacking allegations.

“There’s nothing that President Putin had to say today that I find particularly surprising or that in any way undermines the president’s confidence in the analysis that’s been released by the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community,” said Earnest.

Russian state TV and some of his past comments have suggested the Russian leader favours Trump, but Putin said he did not back any candidate in the U.S. election and was ready to work with any new U.S. president and to discuss any issue.

Asked about Trump, whom he once described as “very talented,” Putin said the Republican candidate was deliberately adopting a showy style because he wanted to get his message across and that he represented ordinary voters fed up with the U.S. political elite.

“He has chosen a method to get through to voters’ hearts,” said Putin. “He behaves extravagantly of course, we see this, but I think there’s a reason for this.”

Putin dismissed suggestions by some politicians in the West that Russia is poised to attack another country or intervene elsewhere in the Middle East apart from Syria.

Such talk was designed to exaggerate the threat that Russia posed, he said, in order for certain countries to secure higher military spending and talk up their own importance.

He said Russia was not planning to attack anyone.

But he made clear Russia was in Syria for the long haul and intended to clear the city of Aleppo of what he called “a nest of terrorists”, while trying to minimise civilian casualties.

 

REUTERS

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13 responses to “Putin: U.S. ‘hysteria’ over Russia is election ploy”

  1. Rudy1947 Avatar

    Ah come on Putie, such an innocent speech. You’ve added your share of kindling to the fire.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Observations …..
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOnwpOXB_MI
      ‘People’ are considering more often what ‘Media’ pumps at them.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        And Moore talks about the filming ….
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op1ZctMyOF4

  2. O'Matrix Avatar
    O’Matrix

    Putin says Trump behaves extravagantly to get message across.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/
    Putin recognized Donald Trump method as his own….

  3. Hind Abyad Avatar
    Hind Abyad

    Russia denies its warships will join Aleppo bombardment: The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed suggestions from NATO that a Russian battle group in the Mediterranean would join the bombardment of Syria’s Aleppo as absurd.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-nato-idUSKCN12R0QU?il=0

    1. Rudy1947 Avatar

      Then what the he!! is a Russian aircraft carrier going to do positioned off the coast of Syria?

      1. O'Matrix Avatar
        O’Matrix

        When Reuters is quoting RIA, than you ‘must believe it’ – it’s a western media reports…..

        By the way, is this someone that impersonating Hind Abyad, or it’s a new Avatar?

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar

          ‘New’ .. but used before too.

  4. Hind Abyad Avatar
    Hind Abyad

    “The concerns are not based on anything as our planes have not come near Aleppo for nine days.
    Our battle group is in the Mediterranean. Our ships have always had a presence there,” said Kelin.
    “Why make some spurious suggestions and then make some political recommendations based on them
    It is of course absurd.”

    1. Rudy1947 Avatar

      Then why are they sending an aircraft carrier?

      1. O'Matrix Avatar
        O’Matrix

        Putin’s sending an aircraft carrier and battleships allover the world.
        He is trying to revive the nostalgic Soviet union era.

        Ukraine was the first step.
        Thing as KGB agent and you will discover the next move of Putin’s plan.

        “Russian military forces have completed the creation of own electronic communication system that is completely independent from the internet and protected from unlicensed connections, allowing for fast and safe transfer of classified information.
        A source in the Defense Ministry has told popular Russian daily Izvestia that the official name of the network is the ‘Closed Data Transfer Segment’ and that the facilities it’s based on are partially owned by the military and partially rented from the state communications agency Rostelecom. Servers of the network will be located in every Russian military unit, but access to them will be heavily restricted.”
        As well as “The military internet also has its own mail service that allows for strictly internal exchange of messages.

        Russian presidential adviser for internet issues, German Klimenko, said in comments that he considered it correct that the Closed Data Transfer Segment has absolutely no connection to the internet.

        “Anything that is connected can be broken into and therefore is not safe,” he said. [Russia Today]

      2. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Same reason USA had when it did that. ‘Threaten’.

  5. Hind Abyad Avatar
    Hind Abyad

    Why not real news like Middle-East Monitor, It would vex the hasbara? It’s all you have left here YaLibnan.

    “UN concerned about ‘collective punishment’ of Arabs in Kirkuk”
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161025-un-concerned-about-collective-punishment-of-arabs-in-kirkuk/

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