Russian President Vladamir Putin blew off U.S. president Barack Obama's claims this morning that he not telling the truth about his government's relationship with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
'Who is he to judge? Who is he to judge, seriously? If he wants to judge people, why doesn't he get a job in court somewhere?'
Putin made the comments during an on-stage interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as CNBC host Geoff Cutmore was telling him Obama had 'accused you, as you know, of untruths when it comes to supporting some of the separatists groups...'
At that point, Putin interrupted Cutmore to make fun of president Obama, which drew laughter from the audience.
In a more somber tone, Putin told added, 'I don't think he accused me.It's his point of view. And I have my point of view, when it comes to certain things,' he said.
Cutmore then tried to ask him if his country would allow Ukraine's scheduled election to take proceed peacefully this Sunday, to which Putin said, 'Oh come, on, really? He's a difficult man to deal with. Where did you get this guy?'
Russia and the U.S. have been engaged in a stand off over the former country's invasion Crimean Peninsula, which was under the control of Ukraine until February.
Russia made an agreement with the U.S. and EU in mid-April that it would use its influence on the pro-Russian forces in Ukraine to get them to vacate power, but the promise never came to fruition.
'So far at least we have seen them not abide by the spirit or the letter of the agreement in Geneva,' President Obama said days later. 'Instead we continue to see malicious, armed men taking over buildings, harassing folks who are disagreeing with them, destabilizing the region and we haven't seen Russia step out and discouraging it.'
When Russia still did not fulfill its part of the agreement, the U.S. introduced sanctions on a handful of the countries businesses, singling out the ones whose executives had close ties with Russia's leader.
On Friday Putin claimed that the West was the blame for the instability in Ukraine, not Russia, and 'now, they want us to clean up the mess they created.'
Putin called the sanctions on his friends 'illegal' and said they ought to sue the U.S. 'They don't have any relation to the events in Ukraine or Crimea, he said.
'Maybe the Americans, who are quite shrewd, want to win a competitive edge over Europe by insisting on introducing sanctions against Russia?'
The Russian leader also predicted that the U.S.' sanctions on his country would end up backfiring.
'Economic sanctions as a tool of political pressure are eventually going to attack the economy of the countries who have initiated the sanctions,' he said.
Putin joked that 'you can’t force people to like you' but he hopes 'common sense, good sense and national interest, will push' the U.S. and the other European countries that have place sanctions on his country to continue working with his country.
据英国《每日邮报》网站5月23日报道,听闻美国总统奥巴马暗示其撒谎,俄罗斯总统普京发飙了,当天他公开回击称:“他在评判谁?如果他真想评判人的话,干嘛不去法庭里谋份差事?”
主持人杰夫•卡特摩尔告诉普京:“奥巴马说你,你知道的,在谈到(乌克兰)亲俄分离主义组织时没说实话……”紧接着,卡特摩尔开始调侃奥巴马,引起观众席一阵笑声。
但同在舞台上的普京没有被逗笑,他的声音变得严肃起来:“我不认为他是在指责我,这只是他的看法。在谈到某些事情时,我也会有自己的看法。”
随后,卡特摩尔问普京俄罗斯是否会允许乌克兰25日和平举行大选。面对主持人的穷追不舍,普京似乎有意转移话题,他对台下观众说:“哦,真要这样吗?他(卡特摩尔)太难缠了,不知道电视台是从哪里找到这个人的?”
今年3月,克里米亚脱离乌克兰加入俄罗斯联邦。由此,俄美两国关系恶化。
4月17日,乌克兰、俄罗斯、美国和欧盟代表在日内瓦就化解乌克兰危机达成多项共识,俄方同意利用其影响力令亲俄分子放弃暴力。但截至目前,这一允诺仍未兑现。
“迄今为止,我们没有看到俄方执行日内瓦协议的迹象。”奥巴马曾公开指责,“相反,我们继续看到满怀恶意的武装分子占领政府大楼、骚扰民众、制造不稳,而俄罗斯并没有站出来制止他们。”
随后,美当局宣布对多名俄政府官员和与普京关系密切的商界领袖实施经济制裁。
在23日的采访过程中,普京被问及对美方的表态及后续举措作何感想。他回应称,西方才是造成乌克兰乱局的罪魁祸首,“现在,他们却企图让俄罗斯来收拾他们留下的乱摊子”。
普京说,美当局对他的朋友实施经济制裁是“不合法的”,“他们同乌克兰或者克里米亚问题没有任何关系。”
“可能是狡猾的美国人企图在与欧洲的竞争中赢得优势才坚持制裁俄罗斯?”
他还预言,美方制裁终将引火烧身。
“将经济制裁作为政治施压的工具,最终会损害实施方的经济利益。”
“你不能强迫人们喜欢你,但能寄希望于情理常识、良好判断力以及国家利益来推动美国和实施制裁的其他欧盟国家来继续与俄罗斯合作。”