...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...hails his country's destruction of its last supplies of chemical weapons, accusing the US of failing to fulfill its own obligations in this regard.
Putin on Wednesday described the destruction of the chemical stockpile, which was carried out before the initial deadline, as "a historic event," stressing it was "a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and safe."
"Russia strictly complies with its international obligations, including those related to non-proliferation and reductions of weapons of mass destruction," he said in televised remarks broadcast by the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Putin also criticized the United States for not following Russia’s suit, saying Washington had put off doing so three times citing a lack of financial resources, which the Russian leader said "looked a little bit strange."