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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that "all these nonsense" – that Moscow intervenes in the 2016 US election to make Donald Trump president – must stop, so that the US "internal quarrels" do not "poison Russians, social relations and have a negative impact on the world ".
Putin spoke at a panel moderated by Ryan Chilcote, special correspondent for PBS NewsHour, during the Russian Energy Week in Moscow.
Chilcote questioned Putin about the perception that Russia had helped Trump to be elected. "I do not think President Trump has been compromised. He was elected, people voted for him – it was the choice of the people, "said Putin through an interpreter. "It's not our business, it's the United States."
Putin said that the United States and Russia should work together on issues of common interest, such as non-proliferation, the fight against terrorism and climate change, and that, sooner or later, both countries "could restore relations to 100%".
"We have many overlapping common challenges and problems and we should solve them together."
Here are other highlights of his appearance:
On the poisoning of Sergei Skripal:
Putin said that the scandal surrounding the poisoning of the former Russian spy in the UK "is artificially exploded" by the media, and that the sooner it will be put to rest, the better.
Western nations have responded to the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter on British soil by expelling more than 100 Russian diplomats. The Trump administration also imposed penalties under a 1991 law on the use of lethal chemical or biological weapons. The British authorities indicted two Russians, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, in absentia for the crime.
Skripal spent five years in jail after being caught spying for British intelligence, but was released in 2010 as part of an exchange with the United States, Putin said that Skripal had betrayed his country and that his punishment was justified. "He was a traitor," said Putin. "He's a scoundrel. … Espionage is one of the oldest trades in the world, just like prostitution. "
On Syria:
Putin said the United States is violating international law with the presence of its forces in Syria and should get the US Security Council to stay.
Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports several opposition groups, recently reached an agreement to avert a large-scale military assault in Idlib province, last rebel fortress of the country. "We should strive to prevent foreign forces from being on Syrian territory," including those from Russia, Putin said.
On the economic crisis in Venezuela:
When asked whether Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should step down due to the country's dire economic situation, Putin said it belonged to the Venezuelan people and to "nobody else in the world." ". The situation has worsened over time and no one can intervene blindly, he said.
On climate change:
Carbon emissions from human activity have an effect on climate change, but additional forces are at stake, Putin said. Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, however, "we must not thwart our relations with the United States" and we can look for other ways to reduce human emissions , said Putin.
