Russia's Assessment of America's Political Theatre

All of the media time being devoted to the Trump-Putin-Russia connection over the past weeks makes for fascinating political theatre, however, we rarely hear how Russia's political leadership feels about the issue.  Thanks to RT and Russia Insider, we now have video showing Vladimir Putin's commentary on the issue on May 17th, 2017:

Note the 55 second mark where Foreign Secretary Lavrov, a career diplomat, chuckles at Vladimir Putin's comments that he would have to give him a "ticking off" for not sharing America's secrets with him or Russia's intelligence apparatus.

According to Putin's press conference, he is ready to provide a transcript of the meeting that took place between Donald Trump and Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, where the U.S. media claims that American state secrets were leaked.

Here is a complete transcript of the pertinent section of the press conference with my highlights:   

"As for the results of Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit  to the United States and his meeting with President Trump, we assess the results highly. This was the first visit, a return visit by our foreign minister, after we received US Secretary of State Tillerson here in Moscow.

This is normal and natural international practice.   At the same time, however, we see the growing political schizophrenia in the United States. There is no other way I can explain the accusations against the current president that he handed whichever secrets over to Lavrov. 

Incidentally, I spoke with him [Lavrov] today about this matter, and I will have to give him a ticking off for not sharing these secrets with me. Not with me, nor with our intelligence officials. This was really not good of him at all. 

What’s more, if the US administration has no objection, we are ready to provide a transcript of Lavrov’s conversation with Trump to the US Senate and Congress. Of course, we would do this only if the American administration so desires. 

Initially, when we watched the first developments in this internal political struggle, we were amused. But now, the spectacle is becoming quite simply sad, and it is causing us concern, because it is hard to imagine just how far people willing to think up this kind of nonsense and absurdity might go. All of this is ultimately about fanning anti-Russian sentiment. 

This does not surprise me. They are using anti-Russian slogans to destabilize the internal political situation in the United States, but they do not realise that they are harming their own country. If this is the case, then they are quite simply stupid. If they do understand what they are doing, then they are dangerous and unscrupulous people. In any event, this is the United States’ own affair and we have no intention of getting involved. 

As for assessments of President Trump’s actions so far in office, this too is not our affair. It is for the American people, American voters, to give their assessment. Of course, this will be possible only once he is fully allowed to work."

It is interesting to see that at least one major world leader has a sense of humour about his  country's relationship with the United States  and a clear understanding of America’s increasingly self-destructive political reality in these difficult and increasingly tense times.