Next question is from a Sputnik reporter based in Turkey. Asks whether Turkey, Iran, and Russia can work together against "insidious games" in the Middle East. Gives history of recent Turkish-Russian relations and asks whether things like coup and murder of Russian ambassador were "matters of chance."
Putin says the Minsk process hasn't worked very well, but it is the only process we have and should be continued. Putin says he fully supports visa-free travel between Ukraine and the EU and in general says visas are a holdover from the Cold War. He says the number of Ukrainians moving to work in the EU will increase dramatically, many of them will work illegally. Goes into detail about how Ukrainians might be exploited in the EU.
Putin says there are a large number of people in Ukrainian prisons that Ukraine considers legally convicted and will not agree to release, as -- he says -- the Minsk process requires. Putin says many Ukrainians held in Russia were members of Ukrainian military or intelligence services. He says they have confessed in detail although "no one has tortured them."
Putin says that no Ukrainians are held in Russia for being journalists or filmmakers. It's a reference to Oleh Sentsov. Putin then says he can't release anyone just because they are a filmmaker. Says he has nothing against a general bilateral amnesty.
Putin says Kyiv should worry more about making sure that people in eastern Ukraine don't consider Ukrainian forces to be occupiers.
Next question is from a Ukrainian reporter, asking Putin to release Ukrainian citizens being held in Russia prisoners. Says Ukrainians consider Russians to be occupiers.
The Power Vertical's Brian Whitmore again here in the Newsroom:
Putin is clearly reveling in this opportunity to taunt the United States. As disingenuous as he has been, Putin is clearly well-prepared and well briefed on how to field questions about the hacking scandal. Saying that losers are always looking to place the blame elsewhere, he claimed (against the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community) that the hackers could have been anybody. He then went on to praise the hackers! Putin said that as a result of the hacks, intrigue within the Democratic Party against Bernie Sanders was exposed and DNC head Debbie Wasserman Shultz had to resign. Then he added, remarkably: "The hackers were right." Nod. Wink. Taunt. Putin's victory lap continues.