Story highlights
Putin says allegations of Russian hacking in US election stem from "hysteria"
Russian president denies the existence of a national "propaganda machine," saying his country doesn't have the capability
Says Russia does not seek global domination, expansion or confrontation with anyone
“We should be frank with each other,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the opening of his speech to leading scholars and political analysts from around the world on Thursday.
The president wasted no time laying out Russia’s position in the world affairs – touching on everything from the US election to Syria, and European economics.
But how accurate were his comments? We asked Maria Lipman, former scholar in residence of the Carnegie Moscow Center, for her take on Putin’s address to the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi.
Below, Lipman unravels some of Putin’s most eyebrow-raising moments.
Putin on the US election
“Another mythical and imaginary problem is what I can only call the hysteria the USA has whipped up over supposed Russian meddling in the American presidential election,” said Putin, referring to allegations that Russia was behind hacking attacks on the Democratic National Committee.
“The (American) elite has nothing with which to reassure society, it seems, and therefore attempt to distract public attention by pointing instead to supposed Russian hackers, spies, agents of influence and so forth.”
Read more: Latest on Russian hacking allegations
The expert’s view
“Whether or not the Russian government is behind the hacking attacks, no solid evidence has been provided to support the American allegations that the Russian government is directly responsible,” said Lipman.
“Putin has emphasized throughout the campaign that he and Russia will be ready to work with whoever the American people elect.”
“That said,” she adds, “the Kremlin benefits by any doubt or suspicion existing among the American people that the electoral procedure is not fair and foul play not ruled out. It’s long been the Kremlin and Putin’s line that American (or more generally, Western) democracy is not impeccable and if one looks carefully, one can easily find ulterior motives beneath the democratic procedure.”
While US intelligence officials are still investigating the degree of connection between Russia and WikiLeaks, which has been involved in the leaks, they remain confident that Russia is behind the whole thing.
Putin on Syria
“My personal agreements with the President of the United States (on Syria) have not produced results. There were people in Washington ready to do everything possible to prevent these agreements from being implemented in practice,” said the Russian president, in reference to last month’s failed ceasefire negotiations in Syria.
“This all demonstrates an unexplainable and I would say irrational desire on the part of the Western countries to keep making the same mistakes or, as we say here in Russia, keep stepping on the same rake,” he said.
The expert’s view
“It’s interesting the way Putin blames bad policies not on President Obama, but on ‘people in Washington.’ This can be seen as his desire to treat his counterpart with respect, even with all the frustration and resentment with US policies,” Lipman explained.
“While the US and Russia have held long and intense negotiations over Syria, it appears that for Russia a major goal has been to demonstrate its military might and its new strength as a global player,” she continued. “If this is indeed Russia’s primary concern, agreement with the US over any kind of a peaceful arrangement was probably doomed from the start – negotiations per se may be of value for Russia, though not necessarily the end result.”
Putin on propaganda
“People sink into hysteria and declare it the result of foreign, usually Russian, propaganda,” said Putin about what he called a global “climate of uncertainty.”
He added, “I would like to have such a propaganda machine here in Russia, but regrettably, this is not the case. We have not even global mass media outlets of the likes of CNN, BBC and others. We simply do not have this kind of capability yet.”
The expert’s view
“It is true that Russia does not have the equivalent of CNN or the BBC – an English-language service with an international broadcast audience,” said Lipman. “However, Russian TV is highly effective in shaping domestic public opinion, while its influence of Russian propaganda globally should not be exaggerated.”
Putin on respecting national sovereignty
“We have no doubt that sovereignty is the central notion of the entire system of international relations. Respect for it and its consolidation will help underwrite peace and stability both at the national and international levels,” said the Russian leader.
“We do not seek global domination, expansion or confrontation with anyone.”
The expert’s view
“Respect for national sovereignty has increasingly become a matter of demagoguery – and this is true not just of Russia,” said Lipman.
“Russia ignored Ukrainian sovereignty when it annexed Crimea,” she continued. “But the sovereignty of Serbia was not respected when Kosovo was pronounced independent. Likewise, the sovereignty of Iraq or Libya was hardly respected when these nations became targets of international operations.
“The very concept of ‘humanitarian intervention’ implies that there are causes more important than state sovereignty,” she added.
