FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Putin Says Mitt ‘Mistaken’ on Russia

Country will not re-think Syria position.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that a Romney presidency could widen a rift between the United States and Russia over missile defense in an interview on Thursday. Putin also said that Romney’s rhetoric on the campaign trail—the Republican candidate has called Russia America’s “no. 1 geopolitical foe”—nothing more than “mistaken” campaign-season rhetoric. “We’ll work with whichever president is elected by the American people,” Putin said. “But our effort will be only as efficient as our partners will want it to be.” Putin also said in the interview that he is not considering a re-evaluation of Russia’s policy regarding the unabated violence in Syria.