Oliver Stone: Putin is not the monster the West portrays him to be

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not what the West tries to portray him to be, American film director Oliver Stone said in an episode of Russell Brand's Stay Free podcast.

Stone recalled his conversation with the Russian President in 2017 when he was making a documentary about Putin. According to the director, he did not notice any belligerence in Putin's statements when he was interviewing him.

According to Oliver Stone, Putin is not the monster that the American propaganda machine portrays him to be, and this is an unfortunate tragedy.

The Russian leader would refer to US politicians as "American partners" and strive for constructive cooperation, the US director said. Moscow and Beijing are Washington's prime enemies at the moment, although a few years ago Russia and China were "potential allies and friends."

Kremlin responds to Oliver Stone's Putin remarks

American filmmaker Oliver Stone knows Russian President Vladimir Putin "quite well" and has a right to express his opinion about him, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian-American relations are not changing for the better. The things that Stone said were not an accusation.

"He stated his point of view. In fact, he said that from his point of view, everything that Putin and our country are doing receives absolutely incorrect coverage," Peskov said.

In May of 2023, Stone said that he did not change his opinion about Putin because of events in Donbass. He still considers the Russian President a great leader of his country, Stone added.