MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. There is neither a free press nor an ideal democracy in the West, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Media freedom must be an ephemeral phenomenon for them now," Peskov said, commenting on the state of freedom of speech in Western countries. In addition, they don’t have an ideal democracy, Peskov said, answering questions at the New Horizons educational marathon conference.
"We are often accused of lacking democracy, but every country has its own democracy, which is its own independent attribute, based on its traditions, principles, its level of development, goals, and it’s impossible to paint everyone with the same brush," he specified.
A no-holds-barred smear campaign is not only being waged against Russia. "They are at war with each other, just like the way they attacked [ex-President Donald] Trump, when he was booted off all social media, they are at war with other countries," Peskov said.
In 2000, the United States designated several Chinese media outlets as "foreign missions", a status that implies greater restrictions and liability to persecution, Peskov recalled. The war has been waged "along the entire perimeter", though primary efforts are being focused on Russia at the moment, he said.