Putin Defends Missile Sale to Iran; Denies That Russian Troops in Eastern Ukraine
Published at
Sean Gallup/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday defended his decision to sell a long-range missile defense system to Iran and continued to insist there are no Russian troops in Ukraine.
During his annual marathon phone-in, where ordinary Russians have the chance to ask their president to help solve their problems, Putin explained his decision to allow the delivery of advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, saying there was no reason for Russia to not complete the sale of the S300 missiles now that a framework for a nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers was agreed to last week.
On the subject of Ukraine, Putin blamed the Ukrainian government for failing to find a peaceful way out of the conflict and accused it of installing an economic blockade on the regions occupied by pro-Russian rebels.
Putin also flatly denied there were Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine, despite strong evidence to the contrary.
State Department spokesperson Marie Harf says the U.S. knows that is simply not true. “I think we know as of early April that Russian military forces continue to operate in Eastern Ukraine. This isn’t just our word for it. There are pictures. There is evidence out there,” Harf said.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.