Seeing Red

Putin Responds To Prince Charles's "Unacceptable" Hitler Comparison

Putin tells reporter, "It is unacceptable and I am sure he understands that as a man of manners. This is not what monarchs do."

Vladimir Putin has said that Prince Charles's extraordinarily undiplomatic comparison of him to Adolf Hitler, was "wrong" and "unacceptable", especially coming as they did from a "man of manners".

The Russian president was asked for his response to Charles's comments - the prince told a Polish woman, “And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler” when he was on tour in Canada this week - by Press Association chief executive Clive Marshall during an interview with news agencies in St Petersburg today.

Mr Putin said: "It reminds me of a good proverb: 'You are angry. That means you are wrong."'

He added, "Give my words to Prince Charles. He has been to our country more than once, if he made such a comparison, it is unacceptable and I am sure he understands that as a man of manners. I met him personally, as well as other members of the Royal Family. This is not what monarchs do.

"But over the past few years we have seen so much, nothing surprises me any longer.

"I will be guided not by what they say about me anywhere," the Russian president said. "I will only be guided by the interests of the Russian people, and I hope our colleagues in Great Britain will keep that in mind and will always remember that when finding solutions to any issues, we are always guided by international law and its norms."

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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