E-Paper
Putin reacts to Trump aide Charlie Kirk's assassination: ‘Deep rift in American society'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the murder of Charlie Kirk was “disgusting” and proof that there is a deep divide in American society.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday condemned the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and offered his condolences to his family three weeks after his death. Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University, and his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, faces seven charges, including aggravated murder.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Group in Sochi, Putin said that the murder of Kirk was “disgusting” and proof that there is a deep divide in American society.
“This is a disgusting crime, even more so because it happened live on air, in fact, we all saw it,” he said. He also sent his condolences to Kirk’s family and said that he “sympathised and shared” in their grief.
Putin says there is ‘deep rift in society’
The Russian leader then reportedly said that there exists a deep division in American society.
“What happened is a sign of a deep rift in society. In the United States, I don’t think there’s any need to escalate the situation externally because the country’s political leadership is trying to restore order domestically,” he said.
Apart from addressing Kirk’s death, Putin also targeted US President Donald Trump for calling Russia a “paper tiger”.
“We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger, what NATO itself is?” he said, adding, “A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then.”
The assassination of Charlie Kirk
The shooting of the conservative activist is among the rising incidents of political violence that have taken place in the US.
Since his death, many conservatives have attacked left-wing ideology, which they claim is the reason for the recent targeted killings.
22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been taken into custody and charged with his killing. Robinson reportedly used a single shot fired from a neighbouring rooftop to gun down Kirk.
With inputs from agencies
