NBC’s Keir Simmons Bluntly Asks Putin ‘Are You a Killer?’ in One-on-One Interview

Michael LucianoJun 11th, 2021, 7:53 pm

During a one-on-one interview with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, NBC’s Keir Simmons asked, “Mr. President, are you a killer?”

Putin has been suspected by various world leaders and organizations of orchestrating the deaths of some of his political enemies. In August of last year, opposition leader Alexei Navalny was hospitalized and induced into a coma after being targeted with a nerve agent. He recovered in a hospital in Germany, returned to Russia, and was arrested.

Simmons interviewed Putin in Moscow ahead of this weekend’s G7 summit in the United Kingdom, after which President Joe Biden is set to meet with Putin in Geneva for the first time as president of the United States.

Simmons: The late John McCain in Congress called you a killer. When President Trump… was told that you are a killer. He didn’t deny it. When President Biden was asked whether he believes you are a killer. He said, “I do.” Mr President, are you a killer?

Putin: [laughs] Over my tenure, I’ve gotten used to attacks from all kinds of angles and from all kinds of areas under all kinds of pretext and reasons, and of different caliber and fierceness and none of it surprises me. So, as far as harsh rhetoric, I think that this is an expression of overall U.S. culture. Of course, in Hollywood, there are some underlying deep things in Hollywood. Macho. Which can be treated as cinematic art, but that’s part of U.S. political culture where it’s considered normal. By the way, not here, it is not considered normal here.

Simmons: I don’t think I heard you answer the question, the direct question, Mr. President.

Putins: I did answer, I did answer. I will add if you let me. I’ve heard dozens of such accusations, especially during the period of some grave events during our counterterrorism efforts in North Caucasus. And when that happens, I’m always guided by the interests of the Russian people and Russian state and sentiments in terms of who calls somebody who and what kind of labels. This is not something I worry about in the least.

Simmons: Let me give you some names. Anna Politkovskaya shot dead. Alexander Litvinenko poisoned by polonium. Sergei Magnitsky, allegedly beaten and died in prison. Boris Nemtsov shot moments from the Kremlin, moments from here. Mikhail Lesin died of blunt trauma in Washington, D.C. Are all of these a coincidence, Mr. President?

Putin: Look, you know, I don’t want to come across as being rude, but this looks like some kind of indigestion, except that it’s verbal indigestion. You’ve mentioned many individuals who indeed suffered and perished at different points in time for various reasons at the hands of different individuals. You mentioned Lesin. Lesin used to work in my administration, I liked him very much. He died, he perished, or died in the United States. I regret to this day that he is not with us. In my opinion he is a very decent, very good person. And, as far as the others, we found some of the criminals who committed those crimes. Some are in prison, and we’re prepared to continue to work in this mode.