After the recent closure of the Russian consulate in San Francisco, from whose chimney billowed black smoke on Friday, Vladimir Putin told reporters he’s still hopeful that U.S.-Russia relations can improve under President Donald Trump. However, it seems the Russian president is growing tired of being constantly asked about the matter, as he said such questions were “very naive.” Why? Because, as he insisted to the press, Trump is “not my bride, and I’m also not his bride or groom.” Putin deliverer his remarks at a Tuesday press conference in Xiamen, China, the sight of the 2017 BRICS Summit.
While speaking at the annual meeting, Putin explained, “Trump is guided by the national interests of his country, and I by mine. I very much hope that we will be able, as the current U.S. president has said, to reach some compromise in resolving bilateral and international problems.” When asked specifically about the consulate closure in San Francisco, the Russian president demurred in answering “for the time being,” though he did note the State Department had behaved in a “clearly boorish manner.” As such, Putin said the Kremlin “reserves the right” to reduce the American diplomatic presence in Russia even further.
The infamous politician also took the opportunity to berate the United States for engaging in “military hysteria” regarding North Korea’s repeated hostilities toward its southern neighbor and Japan. Putin suggested the recent escalation risks becoming a “global catastrophe” that may incur huge casualties on all sides, especially since the proposed sanctions will be “useless and ineffective.” That said, Russia did condemn Pyongyang’s latest aggressions in the region.