Q: What medicine does the president use -- Russian or foreign?
A: If I have to, I use vaccines. They are Russian, foreign, it’s a set.
The Turkish people are a friendly people, Putin says. But some forces in the country are aggressive to us.
Q: If Poroshenko and Erdogan are drowning, who would you save first?
A: If someone has decided to drown, you can’t save them. But we are ready to extend a helping hand to any of our partners, if they want it.
Live from Crimea, the construction of the Kerch bridge that is supposed to connect mainland Russia with the annexed Ukrainian peninsula.
Q: When are you coming to Crimea?
A: I haven't thought about it, maybe soon.
"We have no right to not tell Russians that vacation in Turkey is dangerous."
Extra! Extra!
Authorities of Omsk have reported that they will fix the roads by May.
Q: Newspapers say that your ex-wife got married. When will you present our new first lady?
A: Lyudmila is doing well. Lyudmila and I meet often. We might have an even better relationship than before. I’m doing well too. But we are elected to work. These questions are interesting to people, but they are not important. Maybe one day I’ll satisfy your curiosity.
The Power Vertical Weighs In:
So we're an hour in. This year's version of the Putin Show is dominated by what is not happening:
1) No questions about corruption or the Panama Papers -- despite the fact that the Kremlin was aggressive in getting ahead of the issue. There's still time (a lot of it, actually), and I'm sure this will be raised to set up Putin's talking points.
2) Very few questions about foreign affairs (just five by my count -- and that includes one from a teenager about whether Putin would save Erdogan or Poroshenko if they were drowning)
3) Very little baiting of the U.S. and the West.
One more thing that is missing is any enthusiasm. Putin, the audience, and the anchors all look like they are just going through the motions.
-- Brian Whitmore
Meldonium doesn’t affect the results and was never considered doping before, Putin says. Athletes that have nothing to do with doping must not suffer.
“I don’t think there it is political,” Putin says. “We must improve our relations with international organizations and take care of our athletes.”