Russia: EU "blindly" follows U.S. orders in attempts to solve refugee crisis - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Europe of "blindly" following the "orders" of the United States in handling the migrant and refugee crisis during a press conference at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Friday. Expressing "surprise" at the position of the U.S. mass-media on the crisis, the Russian leader criticised the American position as hypocritical due to the U.S. "not facing the same level" of refugees as the European Union. In discussing a solution to the crisis, Putin emphasised that the first step must be a "joint and effective international strategy" that targets "terrorism and extremism." Along with this, he went on to underline the importance of "large-scale economic and political support" for rebuilding the statehood of countries that have suffered from destabilisation and conflict, emphasising the need to respect "history, traditions and religion." Moreover, Putin called for creating an international coalition to fight against "terrorist" groups. "We are conducting consultations with our American partners," he added. Putin is due to hold a number of meetings and press conferences during the Eastern Economic Forum which runs until September 5 in Russia's Far East.