ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the United States and other countries to formulate rules of using modern communication resources against each other. In his opinion the rules must be the same for all and strictly observed.
"We’ve said more than once: let us introduce some common rules, let us agree on this," Putin said at a meeting with a group of news agencies’ chiefs, arranged by TASS. In his opinion, "the means of influencing each other, not controlled by the authorities, are in abundance in most countries."
"Let us agree on the common rules of conduct. Let us assume certain obligations and then influence our citizens, individuals and legal entities," Putin said.
He remarked: "Then we should know that the same decisions are being made in relation to us by our partners."
Putin recalled that in the last months of Barack Obama’s presidency Moscow came out with a proposal for formulating certain rules and codifying them in special intergovernmental agreements concerning the use of modern communication resources.
"In its last months in office Mr. Obama’s administration suddenly agreed, but it had no time to accomplish anything. After that we proposed this to the Trump administration. At first they said yes, this is of interest, but then everything was suspended again," Putin said.
He stressed the idea that modern communication resources existed in all countries.
"There are resources beyond the control of the state. The government may begin to influence them, if it has certain obligations to rely on, but they must be mutual," Putin warned. He mentioned the situation where only the United States had nuclear weapons for some time.
"And what happened then? Was the United States eager to agree on weapons restrictions? No. Only when the Soviet Union made its own nuclear arms, it was found possible to enter into negotiations at a certain point for the purpose of self-preservation," he said.
"These days the means of influencing each other, beyond the control of the official authorities, are in abundance in an overwhelming majority of countries," Putin said.