Putin: I envy Obama, he gets away with spying
Iran Press TV
Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:39PM GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he envies his US counterpart Barack Obama because he can spy on his allies without any consequences.
Putin made the comments on Thursday at an annual question-and-answer session with journalists where he talked about how the revelations made by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden about the US government's spying activities have changed Moscow's relations with Washington.
"How do you personally feel about Mr. Obama?" a reporter asked. "Do you communicate? And what are the prospects of Russian-American relations" after Snowden's revelations?"
"How do I feel about Obama after Snowden's revelations? I envy him because he can get away with it," said Putin in a light-hearted tone.
Putin also praised Snowden's actions and said he is working for a "noble cause", referring to his releasing of classified documents which showed how the US National Security Agency spies on the phone and internet records of ordinary people across the globe as well as world leaders including US allies.
The Russian President also said that his government is not working with Snowden and has not received any classified information from him.
'To speak in professional jargon, operatively speaking, we are not working with him, and we never worked with him," Putin said about Snowden. 'It is up to him to determine his future,' he said. 'We are not going to help him, just give him shelter.'
Putin's remarks came after former CIA director James Woolsey said Snowden "should be hanged by his neck until he is dead" if ever convicted of treason.
Putin also underlined the importance of regulations and restrictions on intelligence agencies such as the NSA.
'On political level, it's necessary to limit the appetite of special services with certain rules,' he said.
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