Vladimir Putin is the middle of his annual marathon press conference which The Telegraph describes as “a rare chance for foreign and domestic media to question him directly on anything from foreign policy and his various wars to bread-and-butter economic issues.”
Of course what it really is is a “chance” for Putin to rattle off witty reply after witty reply as the Russian President’s domestic supporters squeal with delight and beam with national pride. Here’s The Guardian’s more accurate description:
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Not Christmas, or last-minute festive shopping, but Vladimir Putin’s annual blockbuster press conference. The event has become one of the highlights of his presidency and – at three hours plus – a macho display of the president’s ironman stamina.
If you want to get a good idea about the mood that generally surrounds the event, the following image of a Russian journalist present at the event captures it pretty well:
Here are some notable zingers that should be good for a few early-morning Friday laughs.
On Democrats and Hillary Clinton:
“[They’re] losing on every front and looking for people to blame everywhere. They need to learn to lose with dignity.”
On the DNC hacking accusations:
“Maybe it was some guy sitting on a couch who did it”.
On Trump:
“Nobody believed he’d win. Except us, of course.”
On telling defense officials that Russia was stronger than the US militarily:
“I didn’t say that. I said Russia is stronger today — pay attention — than any ‘potential aggressor’”
On Trump’s nuclear Tweet:
“As for President-elect of the Unites States Donald Trump and his comment on nuclear enhancement, there is nothing new. During his election campaign, he spoke about the necessity to strengthen US nuclear capabilities, its army, this is not surprising.”
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