Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of double standards in its treatment of rioters in the Capitol, and said it was wrong for the US administration to criticize campaigns against anti-government protests abroad while suing its own citizens over political demands, citing what happened on January 6.
Speaking at a business forum in St Petersburg, Putin set low expectations for his summit with US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland, and said he did not expect a breakthrough when the two meet on June 16.
He also denied suggestions that recent cyber attacks on American companies originated in Russia, and rejected allegations that Moscow interfered in the US election.
Putin made it clear that he saw the rioters in the US Capitol being treated unfairly, saying of Trump supporters who stormed Congress on January 6 and temporarily suspended a session to acknowledge Biden as the winner of last November's election, "they were not just a mob of thieves and rioters."
When the forum director at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum suggested that Putin's comments about the Capitol riots could lead to him being banned from US social media platforms, the Russian leader was met with applause from the audience with his reply: "I don't care about being banned somewhere." .
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that capitol rioters are being "persecuted" by the US government.
According to the report, about 500 suspects were arrested due to the riots, most of them accused of entering or staying in a prohibited building or courtyard. Many of them have been released pending trial, but some of them are being held in solitary confinement.
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