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| Russia never interferes in others’ internal politics, yet feels such attempts from outside – Putin | Russia never interferes in others’ internal politics, yet feels such attempts from outside – Putin |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Russia has never interfered in other countries’ political issues, though there have been such attempts towards Russia, he said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi. | Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Russia has never interfered in other countries’ political issues, though there have been such attempts towards Russia, he said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi. |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday to discuss key international issues such as the Syrian conflict, the situation in Ukraine and battling terrorism, as well as bilateral ties between Moscow and Berlin. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday to discuss key international issues such as the Syrian conflict, the situation in Ukraine and battling terrorism, as well as bilateral ties between Moscow and Berlin. |
| Putin called such attempts “futile” after a German reporter asked whether Chancellor Angela Merkel was worried about the possibility of Russia meddling in her country’s upcoming elections, as it allegedly did during the US elections. | Putin called such attempts “futile” after a German reporter asked whether Chancellor Angela Merkel was worried about the possibility of Russia meddling in her country’s upcoming elections, as it allegedly did during the US elections. |
| “You have referred to an example that hasn’t been proven by anyone or anything. These are merely rumors that are being used in US political in-fighting,” Putin said. | “You have referred to an example that hasn’t been proven by anyone or anything. These are merely rumors that are being used in US political in-fighting,” Putin said. |
| “We never interfere, either in political life or in the political processes of other countries. We would also like that no one would interfere in Russia’s political life,” Putin said. | “We never interfere, either in political life or in the political processes of other countries. We would also like that no one would interfere in Russia’s political life,” Putin said. |
| “Unfortunately, what we see is precisely the opposite. We have seen attempts to interfere in internal political processes in Russia for a very long time,” he noted, adding that this happens through various NGOs and even directly. | “Unfortunately, what we see is precisely the opposite. We have seen attempts to interfere in internal political processes in Russia for a very long time,” he noted, adding that this happens through various NGOs and even directly. |
| “Realizing how harmful and futile these efforts are, we have never even thought of meddling in the political processes in other countries,” Putin said. | “Realizing how harmful and futile these efforts are, we have never even thought of meddling in the political processes in other countries,” Putin said. |
| READ MORE: German intel finds no proof of Russian ‘disinformation ops’ against Berlin – govt source | |
| Merkel said that she is “not an anxious person.” | Merkel said that she is “not an anxious person.” |
| “We know cyber criminality is an international challenge... but we expect that the German election will go ahead unharmed and that we have enough different positions to tackle a range of topics,” she added. | “We know cyber criminality is an international challenge... but we expect that the German election will go ahead unharmed and that we have enough different positions to tackle a range of topics,” she added. |
| Ukraine | |
| Putin and Merkel are united in the view that there is no need for new agreements aimed at stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, since it would be more practical to wait for results to be achieved by the already-existing Minsk deal and the Normandy format. | Putin and Merkel are united in the view that there is no need for new agreements aimed at stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, since it would be more practical to wait for results to be achieved by the already-existing Minsk deal and the Normandy format. |
| “I cannot but agree with Madame Chancellor that we can’t come up with anything new, with an alternative, and we don’t need to be thinking of anything but the Normandy format and the Minsk agreements – as you can’t plan anything new while you have not achieved results on previous ones,” Putin said. | “I cannot but agree with Madame Chancellor that we can’t come up with anything new, with an alternative, and we don’t need to be thinking of anything but the Normandy format and the Minsk agreements – as you can’t plan anything new while you have not achieved results on previous ones,” Putin said. |
| The pair is scheduled to hold two rounds of talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. | The pair is scheduled to hold two rounds of talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. |
| Putin and Merkel have also discussed the forthcoming G20 summit, which will be held in Hamburg in July. | Putin and Merkel have also discussed the forthcoming G20 summit, which will be held in Hamburg in July. |
| The last time Merkel visited Russia was on May 10, 2015, in connection with the Victory Day celebrations. | The last time Merkel visited Russia was on May 10, 2015, in connection with the Victory Day celebrations. |