Putin praises Trump’s judgment, rejects hacking claims
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestured as he spoke during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia today.
MOSCOW >> Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced hope today that frayed relations with the U.S. will improve once Donald Trump becomes president despite his pledge to strengthen the U.S.’s nuclear arsenal.
Speaking during a marathon end-of-year news conference that lasted the best part of four hours, Putin heaped praise on the president-elect while downplaying any concerns stemming from Trump’s support for a strengthened U.S. nuclear capability.
Putin also used the opportunity offered by the press conference to lambast Trump’s rivals in the Democratic Party for seeking to blame their defeat in November’s election to hacking accusations against Moscow.
“They are losing on all fronts, and are trying to find the culprits elsewhere,” he said. “They are humiliating themselves. They must know how to lose with dignity.”
Asked how he responded to President Barack Obama’s hacking accusations during a conversation shortly before the vote that Russia was involved in the hacking of Democratic Party officials’ emails, Putin said he wouldn’t divulge details of a confidential talk.
“The most important thing is the substance of the information the hackers have presented to the public opinion,” Putin said, adding that the Democrats should have apologized to Americans over the “manipulations” the emails revealed.
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“The current administration and the Democratic Party’s leadership are trying to shift the blame for all their failures to external factors,” Putin said.
He pointed at “the gap in views of what is good and what is bad between the elites and broader masses,” adding that “the current administration has systemic problems.”
In response to Obama’s comment that “Ronald Reagan would roll over in his grave” upon seeing recent poll results showing that more than one-third of Republicans view Putin favorably, Putin said Reagan would be happy to see his party win.
“Reagan would be happy that representatives of his party win everywhere, and he would be happy for the president-elect,” Putin said, adding with a smile: “No one but us believed in his victory.”
Putin said he was encouraged that the U.S. election showed that “there are people who sympathize with our views of traditional values, because it’s a good basis for developing relations between our two powerful countries.”
Putin expressed hope that he would meet soon with Trump to discuss how to improve the two countries’ relations — and would “definitely” visit the United States if Trump invites him.
Relations between the U.S. and Russia have become increasingly strained over the past few years, sinking to their worst since the Cold War. The conflict in Ukraine, which saw Russia annex the Crimea peninsula, and disagreements over the war in Syria have lain behind the growing distrust between the two.
The Russian leader also reaffirmed his claim that the Russian military is “stronger than any potential aggressor,” even though he acknowledged that the U.S. military is bigger.
Putin said that the U.S. military has “more missiles, submarines and aircraft carriers, and we aren’t arguing with that.”
“We are just saying that we are simply stronger than any aggressor,” he said.
Putin said he saw “nothing unusual” in Trump’s nuclear weapons pledge, adding that the statement is in line with the president-elect’s campaign promises.
The ongoing modernization of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces has come as a response to the U.S. opting out of a Cold War-era treaty that banned missile defenses, Putin said. Russia had to either design a similar shield or build new missiles capable of penetrating the U.S. defenses to maintain a nuclear parity, the Russian leader argued.
“It’s not us who have been speeding up the arms race,” Putin said, adding that Russia has fully complied with the existing arms control agreements.
He also noted that the U.S. has been modernizing its tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.
Pointing at this week’s terror attack in Berlin, Putin called for better cooperation in fighting terrorism, saying such efforts between Russia and the West have been effectively paralyzed by Western sanctions against Russia.
“We can only fight this threat efficiently if we pool our efforts together,” he said.
The Russian president pointed at the evacuation of civilians and rebels from eastern Aleppo as a result of successful cooperation between Russia, Turkey and Iran. He said a cease-fire on the entire territory of Syria must come now, followed by peace talks.
27 responses to “Putin praises Trump’s judgment, rejects hacking claims”
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I agree that we must try to work with this superpower on common problems. That said, Putin is far more intelligent than Trump and may play him like a fiddle. We must all be wary of the threat to America and especially to the working and middle-class Trump represents.
IRT allie –
I am under the impression that these two men have a mutual respect for one another. During one of the debates when Trump asked “What’s so bad about getting along with Russia?”, I immediately absorbed that as a desire and an invitation for dialogue between the two to improve relations. And you know Putin heard that, they watch us like a hawk.
Where you & I disagree is that I have a bit more faith in Trump’s intelligence than you do, but that’s okay, it doesn’t bother me. You’re entitled to feel whatever way you do. Only time will tell how these two men will get along, and I hope as much as you do that they can work together.
We have to remember that Russia has citizens too, and they have a desire for peace and better relations as much as we do. Take a look at the article below – Some of their citizens want to rename one of their streets after Donald Trump. Pretty funny….
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3943452/Residents-Russian-town-petition-street-Donald-Trump.html
That is largely why I thought that the Donald was the best republican running. It will be nice to have a republican president who does not look upon Russia as the evil empire. He also acknowledged what a fool GW was. Still I feel his presidency is doomed to failure as he appears to be addicted to Voodoo.
Still a helpless, hapless captive of the ‘bush derangement syndrome’ eh? – – tsk tsk tsk.
Nice post!
We vill give Comrade Donald a Russian Medal like Comrade Tillerson of Exxon. Life is good for Russia!!
The Donald is very intelligent. He has played poor white boys who are being left behind well. And who knows, maybe he will work out. If the stock market rises during the next 4 years to 30,000 and the deficit stays the same or decreases, well then I would have to say the Donald is good. However if the stock market plunges to under 10,000 and the deficit rises to over a trillion, and unemployment rises to 10%, well then I hope everyone will view him as a fraud.
@Boots –
In the past 8 years your boy Obummer played us all, not just the “poor white boys”.
Barry didn’t outplay me or you or some of us. He played/fooled the Libertards/Democrats to this day! They still believe the LIES of the Democratic leaders! Yikes! is there hope for these followers of the Pied Pipers.?
How so? I sure appreciate where the country is today as opposed to 8 years ago. 8 years ago the economy crashed, the stock market was sinking like a lead balloon, and unemployment was rising. Today the economy is relatively healthy, the stock market is close to 20,000 and unemployment is about half. Sure was an improvement over the prior president.
And Pocho, what lies were those exactly? Are you still looking for the WMDs that the prior president claimed existed in Iraq? I think you should be asking what will republican sheep do when the Donald turns out just to be another RINO. lol.
“He has played poor white boys who are being left behind well”
Seems like a racist remark to me, saying that all people with a couple of common properties (poor and white) are fools (getting played).
He also won 53% of white females. Here is an interesting NT article on the phenomena of white educated women voting for Trump.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/20/magazine/donald-trumps-america-pennsylvania-women.html?_r=0
No one double crosses TheDonald. How inept of a mind do you have? TheDonald outplayed America, you Libertards/Democrats whose party had the KALA!, the biased media on it’s side of the party lines, all the lies tooting the Pied Pipers, etc.. Americans are fed up playing the PC Sheep of the World. Is “allie” coming around our President Elect? for Gawd’s sake, wake up people!
Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced hope today that frayed relations with the U.S. will improve once Donald Trump becomes president despite his pledge to strengthen the U.S.’s nuclear arsenal.
“Despite” my [redacted] !
Count on the AP to get it wrong.
Vlad’s desire to make early friends with President Elect Trump is directly BECAUSE of Trump’s tough stand on the long overdue need to upgrade our arsenal as a matter of top priority.
What is needed first and foremost is a technical audit to insure that existing systems are RELIABLE and that perishable shelf life warhead components have been replenished on schedule and are up to date.
We use our nuclear arsenal EVERY DAY to DETER a would be enemy from making a suicidal first strike decision.
Deterrence is weakened if potential advisories ever come to doubt the systems reliability of our delivery vehicles or war heads they deliver on target.
Next, in addition to engineering upgrades, we are much in need of updated weapons effects – – especially blast effects – – data and this means a long overdue resumption of underground testing. Modernization and testing must go hand in hand if we are not just kidding ourselves about maintaining a deterrent posture friends and foes alike view as credible..
And the genius that Trump is putting in charge of the nuclear priorities you have listed is Rick “Oops!” Perry!
America needs to update it’s outdated Nuclear weapons of destruction. Hope Russia follows suit and spends money to keep up. Putin says he has the weapons to defend aggressors, America needs to update nuclear relics
http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-america-trust-its-aging-nuclear-arsenal-1476464734
We need to insure our present capabilities remain functional. Of particular interest is the necessity to remain current with regard to developing technologies. Terroristic use seems more realistic than an attack from Russia.
I think Perry is Energy Secretary. If I am not mistaken, the weapons systems come under the Secretary for Defense.
Wrong bsdetection – – Gov Perry is the Sec Energy Designate and as such will NOT set priorities, but respond to NCA policy decisions to develop and manufacture specific warheads for specific SNDV platforms and specific targeting tasks.
As for his debate gaffe, he was exhausted and ill and had a brain stall at an unfortunate moment. Not a show stopper by any means. Only the shallow minded condemn him for that mistake.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Both are excrement. But Trump will be our president and we will see how he performs (not talks) once he takes office, hopefully he does right for the American people.
Well, did you really have to put in the first sentence?
It kind of took the shine off the reasoned tone of the second.
Yes I did. 🙂
The cost of business – The breakeven oil price for Saudi Arabian oil producers is $7 a barrel. The breakeven oil price for Russian oil producers is $46 a barrel ( souse: Deutsche Bank) 3/28/16 issue, #7 bullet.
Putinsye is correct. Russian hacking would not even be an issue if Hellary did not have the server in her basement using private emails. We absolutely need the Russkies to help in the war on terrorism. We can play good cop bad cop. While we play goody two shoes they can get the job done.
“Putin praises Trump’s judgment, rejects hacking claims.” That’s all the evidence we need to question Trump’s judgment, and to investigate the hacking claims.
In the picture above, Putin is demonstrating how he inserts his hand and manipulates his Trump puppet.