The adequate is offended

Vladimir Putin called the restrictions introduced in the United States regarding Russia Today and Sputnik, an attack on freedom of speech and promised that Moscow’s answer would be adequate and mirror. It is reported by TASS.

“The attack on our media in the United States is an attack on freedom of speech, without any doubt,” Putin said at a press conference following the APEC summit in Vietnam. “We are disappointed as they say in such cases. But, of course, it cannot be different - and what is being discussed now in the State Duma, maybe yesterday it may be too harshly, but it is natural.”

“I want to pay attention to the fact that there is no confirmation of the intervention of our media in the passage of the election campaign and cannot be,” the Russian president emphasized. - No, we went along the path of actual closure. The answer will be adequate and mirror. "

Putin also said that all reports of Russia's intervention in the US presidential campaign are aimed at the domestic political struggle. "I spoke many times on this score. I believe that everything that is connected with the so -called Russian dossier in the USA, today is a manifestation of an ongoing domestic political struggle," Putin said.

Speaking of accusations of ties with Russia, US Minister Wilbur Ross, Putin recalled that he had previously been engaged in business. “In my opinion, he was a shareholder or owner of a world -class stud company, concluded contracts with the senders of goods around the world, maybe with Russian,” Putin noted. “This is no more than business, and it never had and has nothing to do with politics.”

“I don’t even know his surname, if I honestly, I just heard it recently,” said the Russian president. “There is nothing to investigate here. But if you wish, of course, you can dig into some sensations. They are not there.”

According to Putin, the Russian ties of Paul Manafort, the former head of the Trump election headquarters, also had exclusively economic nature. “The only connection with Russia is that, being a leader or owner, I don’t even know the American PR agency, he concluded contracts and, as a businessman working in this area, worked with Ukraine, including the former president (Victor) Yanukovych,” Putin noted. “But what does this have to do with Russia? I don’t understand. The desire to use any clue to fight the current president (USA).

On Thursday, RIA Novosti reported that the US Department of Justice demanded that Russia Today America be registered as a foreign agent until November 13. The editor -in -chief of the television channel Margarita Simonyan called the Date of the US Daedlin established by the US authorities. However, she later stated that the requirements of the American side would be fulfilled.

On Friday, the State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that the Lower Chamber over the next week may be adopted by a law that limits foreign media in Russia , in response to the "oppression" of the Russian media in the United States. "We will try to make a proposal to the Council of the Duma (November 14. - Ed.) On Wednesday (November 15) at the plenary meeting, and we have the opportunity to accept this norm in the form of the law within a week," Volodin said.

According to Volodin, as a symmetrical response for the demands of the US Ministry of Justice to Russia Today, to register as a foreign agent, it is necessary to accept changes to Russian legislation, having reckoned the media for "foreign agents". The State Duma intends to work out all possible amendments along with experts on weekends, Volodin noted.