Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a new interview that he “couldn’t care less” if Russians interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
The Russian leader maintained that there is no proof the Kremlin ordered any interference, even if such interference happened.
Putin said in an interview with NBC News’s Megyn Kelly released Saturday that the Russians indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller last month for election interference don’t represent his government.
“So what if they’re Russians?” Putin said. “There are 146 million Russians. So what? … I don’t care. I couldn’t care less … They do not represent the interests of the Russian state.”
{mosads}
Putin also continued his denials that Russia interfered in the U.S. election.
“Could anyone really believe that Russia, thousands of miles away … influenced the outcome of the election? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous even to you?” Putin said. “It’s not our goal to interfere. We do not see what goal we would accomplish by interfering. There’s no goal.”
He said during the same interview that Russia would “never” extradite those indicted by Mueller.
“We in Russia cannot prosecute anyone as long as they have not violated Russian law,” he added. “At least send us a piece of paper. … Give us a document. Give us an official request. And we’ll take a look at it.”
Putin has repeatedly denied that his country meddled in the 2016 election, despite the U.S. intelligence findings that Russia had done so.
President Trump said last year that he believed Putin believed his own denials.
The president has slammed Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling and, while he later said he did believe Russia had interfered in the election, maintained that it had “no impact” on U.S. vote totals.