And he joked that if former-FBI director James Comey suffers persecution for falling-out with President Donald Trump, Moscow will grant him asylum.
Putin said, referring to former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russian Federation in 2013 after leaking classified information about U.S. spy operations.
"It sounds very odd when the head of the security services writes down a conversation with the commander-in-chief and then leaks it to the media through his friend ... Then he's not a head of an intelligence service, he's a human-rights activist". "By the way, if he faces any kind of prosecution in this regard, we will provide political asylum in Russian Federation for him as well".
Comey testified last week that he orchestrated the leak of accounts of conversations with US President Donald Trump because he thought it might lead to the appointment of a special prosecutor to lead the Russian Federation investigation into alleged meddling in the 2016 Presidential election. It's possible, now that former FBI Director Comey is jobless, thanks to the gutless move by President Pussy Grabber. President Trump and Comey are now locked in a classic battle of He Tweeted/He Testified over the context of their private conversations, which has seen the latter appear before Congress.
In the US Congress, he noted, they now seek to impose new sanctions against Russia, this time by the Moscow position in the Ukrainian crisis, to which is added the alleged Russian intrusion into the internal affairs of the northern country.
Putin said that one grandchild was "already in preschool" and that "my second grandson was born recently", which garnered applause in the studio.
Australia lifts suspension of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria
It came as USA and Russian officials held talks on creating a "de-escalation zone" in southwestern Syria that would include Deraa. Sharif says the missile launch reflects Iran's "military power" though Iran has no intention of starting another war.
On Wednesday, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve further sanctions against Russian Federation. An American man called into the show from Arizona, asking Putin how to deal with the "racist Russophobia" he said was rampant in the US.
"Putin, do you really think people believe this circus with staged questions?" asked another. Putin said: "We don't see America as our enemy".
Snowden fled to Hong Kong, and then to Russian Federation, which allotted him asylum.
He mentioned that both countries could do well by collaborating over the issues of global poverty, climate change, curtailing of mass destruction weapons, and preventing escalation between the United States and North Korea.
Putin did not directly answer a question which asked whether or not he would run for president again next year.
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