Putin: Trump's Opponents Want to Undermine His Legitimacy

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his annual press conference on Thursday, December 14, denied once again any interference in the U.S. presidential elections, claiming that the accusations of collusion with Russia were initiated by Donald Trump's political opponents to undermine his legitimacy. Putin stated that the current allegations against the U.S. President were launched by his political opponents to damage his legitimacy. U.S. intelligence agencies accused Russia of interfering in the last presidential election, an accusation that several high-ranking intelligence officials, particularly from the Obama administration, continue to insist upon. In this context, the CIA also officially announced late last month that there has been no change in its assessment regarding Russian interference in the elections since its previous report in January, and it still considers the assessment valid. Russia, and particularly Vladimir Putin, has consistently denied these allegations. On Thursday, Putin reiterated this denial and noted that the collusion allegations against Donald Trump have harmed the American political system in recent months and are a sign of disrespect towards the people who voted for Trump. During the press conference, Putin also spoke about 'several very serious achievements' of Donald Trump during his presidency, mentioning 'growth in global financial markets' in recent months as an example of these achievements. He stated, 'This shows that investors have faith in the U.S. economy and trust the work that President Trump is doing in this regard.' The issue of Trump's campaign's connections with the Russian government is currently the subject of at least three serious investigations in the United States, one of which is being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and it has gradually reached Trump's inner circle, including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Mueller is also investigating the possible obstruction of justice by the U.S. President in connection with the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. Michael Flynn, Trump's former National Security Advisor, officially admitted on December 1 that he lied to the FBI regarding his contacts with the former Russian ambassador to Washington. Reports also indicate that, according to this former Trump administration official's confession, a senior member of the new administration's transition team had instructed him to contact the Russian government. Flynn resigned from his position as National Security Advisor just 24 days after taking office. At that time, it was reported that the reason for his resignation was that he had not been truthful with Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, about his contacts with Russian officials. Donald Trump has previously emphasized that he trusts U.S. intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference in last year's presidential race, while also describing Putin's statements about Russia's non-interference in the elections as credible. In this context, Trump has stated that he is 'not worried' about Flynn's admission of guilt. Reports about 'Trump's son-in-law's role' in contacting Russia have emerged following Flynn's confession, alongside Trump's criticism of the FBI regarding the investigations related to Russia.