普京舉行年度記者招待會 稱“真羨慕奧巴馬”

“對普京來說，不存在尷尬的問題。”據俄羅斯媒體12月19日報道，當天，俄總統普京在莫斯科舉行年度大型記者招待會，就俄政治、經濟、社會和民生等問題以及備受關注的斯諾登事件和俄烏關係回答了記者提問。

這是普京三任總統任期內第9次召開年度記者招待會，共有超過1300名記者參加。會前，俄總統新聞祕書德米特里·佩斯科夫號召記者們大膽提問，稱他的“老闆”只會被“愚蠢的問題”激怒。

當被問及總統的薪資水平如何時，普京很快回答稱：“總統和總理的工資都夠用！”據悉，去年俄羅斯總統和總理的年薪相同，均爲580萬盧布（約合107萬元人民幣）。

在記者招待會上，當被問及斯諾登事件後俄美關係發生何種變化時，普京如是回答：“我真羨慕奧巴馬，因爲他能暗中監視盟友，卻不需要承擔任何後果。”

普京說，他不清楚斯諾登爲什麼會決定在如此年輕時就把美國國安局的祕密監控項目公諸於衆，但他說斯諾登“好奇心旺盛”，並讚揚斯諾登的舉動，稱其是做了一項“崇高的事業”。

"I envy Obama because he can spy on his allies without any consequences," said Putin when asked about how his relations had changed with the US following Snowden’s espionage revelations.

During an annual question-and-answer session with journalists, Putin praised Edward Snowden’s actions, saying that he was working for a “noble cause.” At the same time he accepted the importance of espionage programs in the fight against global terrorism, but said the NSA needed guidelines to limit its powers.

“There is nothing to be upset about and nothing to be proud of, spying has always been and is one of the oldest professions,” said Putin.

Referring to the vast amounts of metadata gathered on citizens by the NSA, Putin said it is impossible to sift through all of that information. It is “useless” to look at the analysis of spy agencies because it is the opinion of analysts and not facts and as such can be misleading.

“You need to know the people who analyze them, I know, I did it,” said Putin, harking back to his career as a KGB agent. The Russian president described Snowden as a “curious character” and said it was not clear why the former CIA contractor had decided to blow the whistle on the NSA’s international espionage program at such a young age.

Russia is not working with Snowden and has not received classified documents from him, Putin said. The whistleblower has been allowed to reside in Russia but only on the condition he does not “engage in anti-American propaganda.”

Snowden fled to Russia from Hong Kong back in June after leaking a trove of classified information on Washington’s espionage activities. He disseminated the documents to international media outlets who published them in articles blowing the whistle on the NSA’s espionage activities.

The spy revelations triggered massive diplomatic backlash and have had an adverse effect on the Obama administration’s foreign policy. Europe in particular reacted angrily after it was found that the NSA had been monitoring high-ranking political figures, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties and Home Affairs met Wednesday to discuss what action the EU should take in the wake of the spy revelations. Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian journalist renowned for publishing Edward Snowden’s leaks, testified at the meeting. Greenwald claimed that the NSA’s activities had nothing to do with the fight against terrorism and are instead aimed at the elimination of privacy worldwide.

“What a lot of this spying is about has nothing to do with terrorism and national security. That is the pretext. It is about diplomatic manipulation and economic advantage,” said Greenwald.

In the wake of the spy scandal Washington has defended the NSA, saying their work has foiled over 50 terror plots in the US and EU.