Russia: Allegations of Moscow's meddling in US election a 'joke' - Putin

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW* *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW* *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW* *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
Andrei Kondrashov, Presenter (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW*
Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW* *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
SOT, Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): *TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW* *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed amusement at a recent media statement claiming that Trump was "pushing Europe into Putin's hands," while speaking during his annual 'Direct Line' Q&A in Moscow on Thursday.
When asked about the best joke he has heard recently, Putin said it was something that he had read in German media about Trump "pushing Europe into Putin's hands." Russia's leader went on to say "if we combine this with an earlier joke that Russia interfered in the US election, then all this sounds rather funny - we allegedly meddled into the US election of the president, and he gave us Europe for that."
Putin stressed that both allegations are "complete nonsense and can only be called a joke."
During the session, people across Russia have the opportunity to contact President Putin via telephone, text message or the dedicated website. This year's phone-in line is being held in an updated format. The event-hosting multimedia studio is equipped with video walls along the perimeter that enables Putin to immediately get in contact with regional governors and the cabinet ministers in order to address issues straight away.
Another feature of the ongoing session is the absence of a studio audience. Thus, allowing the Russian leader to focus on questions and requests filed by Russian citizens.
So far some 2 million questions have been submitted for Putin's Direct Line 2018 Q&A. The first phone-in line with President Putin took place in 2001 when he received around 400,000 questions.