Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday promised that the Kremlin will retaliate for what he called attacks on Russian media in the United States (US).
Putin's comments at a news conference Saturday in Vietnam follow complaints by the Kremlin-funded RT satellite TV channel that the US Justice Department has ordered it to register as a foreign agent by Monday.
Putin said “attacking our media in the United States is an attack on freedom of speech, without any doubt,” and promised to retaliate.
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said the station would register, since otherwise its American director could be arrested and its accounts frozen.
She said “we categorically disagree with this requirement” and vowed to sue, adding, “this requirement is discriminatory, it contradicts both the principles of democracy and freedom of speech.”
Claims of Russian meddling in US vote 'fantasies': Putin
Putin also said accusations that Moscow meddled in US elections, particularly through contacts with Donald Trump's campaign team are “fantasies” and are motivated by American domestic politics.
“Everything about the so-called Russian dossier in the US is a manifestation of continuing domestic political struggle,” he said, adding that allegations that his niece has met with Trump's former adviser George Papadopoulos are “some kind of fantasies.”