NBC's Megyn Kelly Lands Interview With Putin

Megyn Kelly with Vladimir Putin Thursday

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dismissed as "propaganda" claims that Russia and the West have entered a new "cold war."

The Hill reports in an interview with NBC's Megyn Kelly in Moscow, Putin said his earlier comments that Russian ballistic missiles could penetrate any missile defense systems on the planet were not a declaration of a new "cold war" as some defense analysts suggested.

"My point of view is the individuals who have said that a new cold war has started are not really analysts, they do propaganda," Putin said in the interview that first aired Thursday night on "NBC Nightly News."

"If you were to speak about arms race, then an arms race began at exactly the time and moment when the U.S. opted out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty," he added.


The Russian leader's comments to NBC follow remarks delivered to Russian lawmakers earlier Thursday in which Putin claimed new Russian warheads would render defense systems "useless."

"Missile defenses will be useless against it," Putin said. "Nobody listened to us. Well listen to us now," he added, calling out Western powers for their treatment of Russia on the world stage.