Vladimir Putin jokes about giving political asylum to James Comey

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"I do not think so", Putin said during the annual live Direct Line, during which he answered questions from Russians. "Thank God for that at least", Mr Putin said.

The man had asked Putin via videolink how to deal with Russophobia among his compatriots.

"Little attention is paid to the development of children's and youth soccer", Putin said during his annual call-in show broadcast on state television. Putin posed this question during an interview Thursday, comparing Comey to someone who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013 without any authorization.

Putin said there is a similarity between Comey and Snowden as the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director's decision to leak details of his conversations with Trump to the media had placed him in a vulnerable position and meant he had behaved more like an activist than an Federal Bureau of Investigation chief.

The Russian leader said if Comey faced any consequences for his leaking of conversations, then "we are ready to offer political asylum in Russia to him as well".

Most of the questions during the tightly choreographed show were about low salaries, decrepit housing, failing healthcare and other social problems. This made Snowden a hero to millions and a villain to millions more.

Putin said the sanctions by the West have made Russian Federation stronger by forcing the country to "switch on [their] brains" to reduce its dependence on energy exports, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

"As for us, we have our opinion, we say it openly, but it's not some kind of underground sabotage activity".

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Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Thursday that the reward for information on the fugitives had been increased to $130,000. The homeowner on Pruitt Road saw Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky DuBose, 24, attempting to steal a auto from his home.

The Russian president noted that according to Comey there was no evidence that Russia meddled with the vote count in the United States.

But low world oil prices and Western sanctions imposed over the conflict in Ukraine have hit Russian Federation hard, reducing the amount of money Mr Putin can throw at domestic problems.

Putin said that a slump in oil prices had been a more important factor in Russia's economic slowdown than the sanctions.

The president admitted the number of Russians living in poverty has grown in recent years while noting that "the recession has ended" and the economy has seen "modest" growth over the last three quarters.

"They will be immediately identified and they won't be left in peace and they won't be left in peace, this will damage the children's development".

One question Putin would not answer, however, is who his successor would be. One of Putin's daughters was reported to be in charge of a lucrative project to build a Silicon Valley-like community under the auspices of Moscow State University.

Putin announced that a grandchild of his was recently born, prompting a round of applause from the studio audience.

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