Vladmir Putin says if Russia wanted to kill opposition leader Navalny, it would have ‘finished’ the job

“And if that’s correct, then that’s interesting, then of course [our] special services need to keep an eye on him. But that doesn’t mean he needs to be poisoned, who needs him anyway? If [they] wanted to, they would’ve probably finished it,” Putin added.

“But in this case, his wife asked me, and I immediately gave the order to let him out of the country to be treated in Germany… This is a trick to attack the leaders [in Russia].”

In CNN’s report published Monday, experts in toxicology said Novichok could take up to 12 hours to affect the nervous system, depending on the dosage and how it’s administered. Short of injecting exactly the right dose into someone, it is almost impossible for the perpetrator to dose Novichok so as to incapacitate rather than kill.

Putin described reports about Navalny — to whom he did not at any point refer by name — as “implanted stories.”

“There is actually nothing surprising about the fact that these implanted stories are taking place. They have always been and will always be,” he said.

Putin held the lengthy press conference from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence in the Moscow region. A select group of socially distanced state media journalists, who had to undergo quarantine before attending, were in the room with him. Other journalists and citizens posed questions via video link from Moscow and elsewhere.

Putin denies US election interference

Putin also addressed the question of Russia’s troubled relations with the United States, saying he hoped some of the problems would be resolved under the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

“We proceed from the fact that the elected president of the United States will understand what’s going on — he is an experienced man, both in domestic and foreign policy,” Putin said.

Asked whether Russia was willing to support US President Donald Trump after he leaves office next month, Putin said Trump wouldn’t need “to seek a job” in Russia.

“There is no need for Trump to seek a job [in Russia]. Almost 50% of the population voted for him, if we count the popular vote and not the electoral college,” Putin said when asked half-jokingly by an RTVI reporter if Russia would grant Trump asylum, as it did for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

“[Trump] has a fairly large support base within the United States, and, as far as I understand, he is not going to leave the political life of his country,” Putin added.

Asked why the Russian hackers did not “help get Trump elected” in the 2020 presidential run, Putin once again denied any interference in US elections.

“Russian hackers did not help the still-acting US president get elected and did not intervene in the internal affairs of this great country,” Putin said. “This is just a speculation. It is a pretext to hurt US-Russia relations; it’s a pretext to not acknowledge the legitimacy of the still-acting head of state of the US due to internal political reasons.”

Trump repeatedly dismissed claims that Russia tried to help him win in 2016 as a “hoax.”

Putin urges mass vaccination

Earlier in the press conference, Putin — who is 68 — confirmed that he has not been inoculated with a Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, as it is yet to be recommended for people older than 60.

“The vaccines that are being circulated among the general population today are intended for people in a certain age group, and the vaccines have not yet reached people like me,” said Putin.

“I’m a law-abiding citizen in that matter, I listen to the recommendations of our specialists and so far haven’t taken it. But I will do it as soon as it becomes a possibility.”

Russia registered Sputnik V in August ahead of key large-scale Phase 3 trials necessary to establish the vaccine’s efficacy and safety, drawing skepticism both in Russia and internationally. According to the product description, the vaccine is recommended for use in people aged 18 to 60 and is not advised for people with a number of chronic diseases and health conditions.

“I think it’s necessary to [have mass vaccination], specialists across the world say that mass vaccination is one of the very few ways to overcome this pandemic, it should create population immunity,” Putin said. “And I repeat that our vaccine is effective and safe, so I see no reason not to vaccinate.”

During the news conference, Putin also touched on production challenges faced by Russia, saying the country so far does not have enough “hardware” to manufacture the necessary amount of the vaccine and is working to increase the number of suitable production sites.