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Putin Says U.S. Is Meddling in Election
President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday accused the United
States of trying to taint the legitimacy of next week’s
Russian parliamentary elections by pressing a group of
prominent independent election observers to abandon
efforts to monitor the campaign. Mr. Putin contended
that the monitors, who are deployed by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, had halted plans
to appraise the parliamentary balloting at the urging of
the State Department in Washington.
Mr. Putin’s statements in recent weeks have taken on
an increasingly nationalistic tone as he has sought to
muster support for his party in the elections on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on Monday in St. Petersburg, he
once again criticized what he suggested was foreign
meddling in Russia’s affairs.
“According to information we have, it was again done
at the recommendation of the U.S. State Department, and
we will take this into account in our interstate
relations with this country,” he said. “Their goal is
the delegitimization of the elections. But they will not
achieve even this goal.”
If Russia maintains a robust military, Mr. Putin
later added, “we will not allow anyone to
poke their
snotty nose into our affairs.” |
