President Vladimir Putin in an interview with Pavel Zarubin in the Moscow.

Kremlin.

Putin "on the TV channel" Russia 1 "commented on the statement of US leader Donald Trump that Joe Biden's son Hunter allegedly had commercial relations with Russia.

Recall that on October 22, Donald Trump, during the pre-election debate, said that his presidential rival Joe Biden allegedly received Russian money and was on good terms with the former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, as well as with his widow Elena Baturina.

Biden himself denied these allegations.

Vladimir Putin, commenting on the statement of the American president during the interview, stressed that he was not aware of this. 

At the same time, Putin recalled that Elena Baturina was engaged and, "maybe is engaged in business," and admitted that she could have numerous business connections "with her foreign partners."

“Are there any Americans among this number? I just don’t know anything about it, I just don’t know anything about it,” Putin said. 

Commenting on the activities of Hunter Biden, Vladimir Putin noted that “in Ukraine, indeed, he really had — and perhaps does — have a business,” and added that this does not concern Russia, but “concerns the Americans and Ukrainians.”

“Well, yes, he knows at least one company there, which he actually headed and, apparently, earned good money, earned good money, but I do not see any crime here.

In any case, we do not know anything about this ... This is a company that worked in the field of oil and gas production, ”said the Russian leader.

The head of state also answered a question about his relationship with Yuri Luzhkov, noting that they were "official, but very trusting."

Thus, he reacted to Trump's words that "Putin was friends with Luzhkov."

“I know better what kind of relationship I had with Yuri Mikhailovich.

Yuri Mikhailovich was a very respected person in the country, and I treated him this way - with respect, ”Putin stressed.

  • Donald Trump and Joe Biden

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At the same time, the country's leader did not comment on Trump's statement that Russia allegedly "is still paying Biden money." 

“No comment,” the president said.

During the interview, Putin also noted that the presence of American troops in Afghanistan does not contradict Russia's national interests.

“We initially supported the presence of American troops in Afghanistan, at one time we voted for the appropriate resolution of the UN Security Council,” he said.

Putin added that against the background of the withdrawal of the US military contingent from Afghanistan, "there are many risks," although this creates additional conditions for Afghan reconciliation.

According to him, Russia perceives the activities of the Americans in Afghanistan as "anti-terrorist work."

As the head of state noted, Moscow and Washington are cooperating in this direction, and in the past he even thanked US President Donald Trump, since the information received from Washington helped prevent terrorist attacks on Russian territory.


“We, in turn, are trying to respond in kind, we have such an agreement with the President of the United States, with the current head of state,” Putin said.

Earlier in the debate, Joe Biden said that Russia allegedly "pays money for the killings of American soldiers in Afghanistan."

According to Putin, such statements "sound at least strange and have absolutely no foundation."

The head of state recalled that initially such information appeared in the American media.

“And after that, officials at the highest military level, and then at the level of the American special services, declared that they had no confirmation of this kind of information.

It is extremely strange that some in the US read newspapers and ignore the statements of their officials, ”Putin stressed.

The reason for the discussion about Moscow's alleged cooperation with the Taliban * was the publication of The New York Times, in which, citing anonymous sources in American intelligence, it was reported that Russia allegedly assigned rewards to the Taliban for attacks on the US military and coalition allies in Afghanistan.

This information was obtained by intelligence allegedly during interrogations of the captured "rebels".

The publication claimed that the head of the White House, Donald Trump, was notified of this, but did not take any measures against Russia.

The New York Times was published on June 26.

A few days later, the publication developed the topic in a new article.

It stated that American officials allegedly intercepted electronic data with transfers of funds from Russian intelligence to an account associated with the Taliban.

However, later the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Kenneth Mackenzie, said that the information that Russia allegedly awarded Taliban militants for attacks on American troops has not yet been confirmed.

Gen. Mark Millie, Chairman of the US Chiefs of Staff, also said that the US authorities were not aware of any Russian leadership in the Taliban attacks.

Pentagon chief Mark Esper made a similar statement earlier.

* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.