Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decision regarding Russian athletes, Vedomosti correspondent reports.

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"We need to analyze this decision. What is obvious and what I see right away: there are no claims against the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee – Vedomosti), and if there are no claims, then Russia should compete under its own flag," Putin said at a press conference following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French leader Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Putin noted that Russia has the right to appeal WADA's decision, but the issue has not yet been resolved.

He stressed that collective punishments for athletes are unacceptable from a legal perspective. "Any punishment, as has been the case since the times of Roman law, must be individual and based on what was done by a particular person," Putin said. According to the Russian president, decisions on collective punishments for athletes are not based on the interests of world sports, but on "political considerations."

The WADA Executive Committee previously unanimously supported sanctions against Russia proposed by the WADA Compliance Review Committee and also stripped the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) of its compliance status.

Putin comments for the first time on WADA's decision to disqualify Russia