Putin: I envy Obama, because he can spy and get away with it ― RT News
"I envy Obama because he can spy on his allies without any consequences," said Putin when asked about how his relations had changed with the US following Snowden’s espionage revelations.
During an annual question-and-answer session with journalists, Putin praised Edward Snowden’s actions, saying that he was working for a “noble cause.” At the same time he accepted the importance of espionage programs in the fight against global terrorism, but said the NSA needed guidelines to limit its powers.
“There is nothing to be upset about and nothing to be proud of, spying has always been and is one of the oldest professions,” said Putin.
Referring to the vast amounts of metadata gathered on citizens by the NSA, Putin said it is impossible to sift through all of that information. It is “useless” to look at the analysis of spy agencies because it is the opinion of analysts and not facts and as such can be misleading.
“You need to know the people who analyze them, I know, I did it,” said Putin, harking back to his career as a KGB agent.
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Putin Q&A: LIVE UPDATES ― RT News
09:03 GMT: Putin is asked if he has met NSA Whistle blower Snowden, to which he replies no. Putin says "he is quite an interesting personalty" and thanks to Mr. Snowden, "the mentality in the world has changed for millions of people."
“I haven’t met [Snowden]. He’s got his affairs, I’ve got mine.”
Putin says he's a curious person, but the Russian president has his own interests and Snowden has his. Putin reiterates one of Snowden's conditions for temporary asylum, namely that Snowden not engage in activities that cause harm to the United States. Putin says Snowden has lived up to this condition during his stay in Russia.
09:00 GMT: CNN notes Putin’s stress on moral values, and asks him why he wants to criticize western values.
Putin responds that he does not want to criticize western values, but protect Russia from “pseudo-values” that are aggressively being imposed on Russia by some social groups.
He notes that in Soviet times, morality was like “a simple copy of the bible.” He says that today the code of the communist workers does not exist, and the young generation has not heard about them. He says that in this moral vacuum, Russia needs to return to traditional norms in order to move forward. He notes that it’s a conservative approach, but this conservative approach helps us “not to degrade, not to lapse.”
He notes that Russia is a country that is a rich culture which needs to build on its traditions to move forward.
08:55 GMT: Putin says the global economy has different ways of being kick started. He mentions the United States method of quantitative easing - injecting cheap money into the economy – the get the economy going. He says cutting down social spending and improving macroeconomic indicators is another method. He notes that at the recent G20 summit in Saint Petersburg, they found a path which makes everyone happy.
Putin thinks it is better to take out excessive money from the economy and put it into the country’s reserves.He stresses that Russia should be cautious in cutting down social expenditures, and can even boost retirement payments with money taken from oil revenues.Europe, on the other hand, has had to drastically cut down on social spending, a problem that is not occurring in Russia, as Russia has consolidated its budget, thus forming a “cushion” for Russia to fall back on in difficult times.
08:22 GMT: Putin says the bulk of Ukrainian exports to European are agricultural products, while Russia primarily purchases industrial products. Putin says Russia has nothing against Ukraine looking towards Europe, but Russia has to protect its own interests. If Ukraine opens it borders to Europe, the percentage of Ukrainian agricultural products to European markets will not grow as a result of quality controls and other restrictions in the EU.
“No one is suppressing anyone. If you want to be independent, you have to pay your own way and conduct yourself as an independent state,” Putin replied when asked if Russia is using gas as a political tool to suppress Ukraine.
08:18 GMT: Putin says that Ukraine is a fraternal country in a tough economic and political situation which was caused by a number of reasons. He says if Ukraine is really a fraternal country, it is Russia’s responsibility to help. He also said it was the government of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who signed the gas contract with Russia, so “no one is trying to suppress Ukraine.”
08:15 GMT: Putin is asked if he expects any payback for the decision to help Ukraine financially. Another journalist also says Putin has been “suppressing” Ukraine with natural gas prices, and then decided to cut the price. He is asked how much more Russia is willing to pay Ukraine to keep the country from “looking away from Europe.”