Putin: facts lacking in reports of rumored 'Russian meddling in US election'

Russian Politics & Diplomacy June 02, 2017, 16:53

"I did read those reports. There is nothing specific in them - only speculations and conclusions based on those speculations," Putin said

ST. PETERSBURG, June 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he had a chance to leaf through US reports containing claims about Russia’s alleged intervention in the US presidential election but found nothing specific in them.

"I did read those reports. There is no accuracy in them - only speculations and conclusions made on the basis of speculations," he said while answering questions at the SPIEF-2017 full-scale meeting.

He believes there may be a theme for discussing this issue only if the facts emerge.

"As my colleagues in the agency where I once worked used to say: "I'd like addresses, codes and names, please?" Putin said with a smile.

The moderator, Megyn Kelley of the NBC, remarked that the reports did contain some IP-addresses pointing to Russia, to which Putin replied that the report’s authors might have well faked or invented such details.

In his opinion, the reports provided no proof but constituted an attempt to "put the blame at somebody else’s door."

"The problem is not here. The problem is inside US politics. That’s where it lies," he said.

"The Trump team turned out more effective in that election campaign. I sometimes stopped to think: ‘Well, the man is overdoing it!’ In the end it turned out he was right. He managed to find his way towards the groups of the population, the groups of voters he put his stake on."

As for the rival candidate’s team, Putin said, it misjudged the situation only to refuse to recognize its own mistake.

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