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Putin notes Russians charged with influencing US election 'may be brought to justice'

If these people violated Russian laws, they will be brought to justice, the president stressed

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Russians charged with meddling in the US election may be brought to justice, should it turn out they really violated Russian laws, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the NBC television network in an extract of his interview aired on Tuesday.

"Should it turn out that they really violated Russian laws, then we will bring them to justice. If they did not violate Russian laws, then there is no reason for indicting them," Putin said. "In the final count you should realize that people in Russia live in accordance with Russian laws and not US laws, and it will remain so."

Putin also said that even if the thirteen Russians and three Russian organizations in question had really meddled in the 2016 presidential election in the United States, that affair was of no interest to him.

Read also

Putin: Russian nationals accused of meddling with US election will never be extradited

"I do not care," Putin said. "I’m absolutely indifferent to this, because they do not represent the interests of the Russian state."

"If somebody really worries you, then please notify us in an official manner, send us a document that confirms this," Putin said. "Please explain to us what specifically they are accused of and then we’ll see."

On February 16 the US authorities accused thirteen Russian citizens and three Russian organizations of attempts to meddle in US political processes and the 2016 election race. The charges were prepared by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. On the list of the accused there are businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin and twelve employees of the Internet Research Agency.

US President Donald Trump and his key advisers have repeatedly dismissed any suspicion of unlawful contacts with Russian officials during the US election campaign.

Moscow has more than once denied the charges of trying to influence the US presidential election.

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