Three weeks after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Russian leader Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the family of the slain conservative activist while claiming that the “disgusting crime” was proof of a “deep rift” in American society.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Group in Sochi on Thursday, Putin condemned the killing of the Turning Point USA founder, who was shot during a Q&A event at a Utah university on September 10.
“This is a disgusting crime, even more so because it happened live on air, in fact, we all saw it,” Putin said while taking questions at the conference. “It truly looked repulsive, terrible.”
Adding that he wanted to give his condolences to “Kirk’s family and all his loved ones,” Putin said he “sympathized and shared in their grief.”
At the same time, Putin claimed that the assassination of the prominent right-wing influencer and close ally of President Donald Trump revealed a massive division in American culture at this moment.
“This is a sign of what happens — a deep rift in society,” he stated. “There is no need to escalate the situation from our side because the political leadership tries to set it straight in domestic policy. I think the U.S. is going this way.”
Elsewhere in his comments on Thursday, the Russian autocrat appeared to swipe back at Trump for describing his country as a “paper tiger” that had been “fighting aimlessly” in Ukraine over the past three years.
Trump, who had previously insisted that Ukraine should give up land to Moscow in order to secure a peaceful end to the war, recently reversed course and suggested that Kyiv could actually win back all of its territories currently controlled by Russia.
The White House has also said that Washington is considering Ukraine’s request to provide the war-torn country with long-range Tomahawk missiles, prompting Putin to warn on Thursday that this would represent a “new stage of escalation.”
As for Trump’s repeatedly calling Moscow a “paper tiger,” Putin fired back and claimed that it was actually NATO that should be given that label.
“A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger,” Putin fumed. “Well, if we are fighting with the entire NATO bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a ‘paper tiger’, then what is NATO itself?”
While European leaders have recently accused Russia of brazenly violating their countries’ airspace, particularly with drones in Poland and jets over Estonia, Putin responded that NATO was merely trying to whip up hysteria over Russia possibly planning to attack a member nation.
Though he said it was “impossible to believe” that Russia was seeking to expand its war to other parts of Europe, Putin also warned that Moscow would be ready to respond if NATO took action.
“If anyone still has a desire to compete with us in the military sphere, as we say, feel free, let them try,” he said. “Russia’s countermeasures will not be long in coming.”
With Ukraine and Western European leaders arguing that unless Russia is defeated, then Putin will engage in a similar imperialistic land-grab with other nearby countries, the Russian president asserted that NATO members should instead focus on their own domestic issues.
“I just want to say: Cool down, sleep calmly, and take care of your own problems. Just take a look at what’s happening on the streets of European cities,” he declared.
