“Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly” Airs June 4 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
In an exclusive, one-on-one interview with NBC News’ Megyn Kelly, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that he had limited personal interaction with former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Kelly asked about the nature of their relationship and a widely circulated December, 2015 photo that shows Putin and Flynn sitting next to each other at dinner during an event to celebrate Russian TV network RT.
“I made my speech. Then we talked about some other stuff. And I got up and left. And then afterwards I was told, ‘You know there was an American gentleman, he was involved in some things. He used to be in the security services,’” Putin told Kelly in Russian, translated to English, in a preview that aired on “Meet the Press.” “That’s it. I didn’t even really talk to him. That’s the extent of my acquaintance with Mr. Flynn.”
You can watch the preview, along with Kelly’s appearance on “Meet the Press” here: http://nbcnews.to/2qPONbD. A transcript is below. More can be found on NBC News.com and on “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly” tonight, June 4 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
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MEGYN KELLY: HE CAME OVER HERE FOR A DINNER, A PHOTO OF WHICH HAS BEEN WIDELY CIRCULATED IN THE AMERICAN MEDIA. WHAT WAS THE NATURE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: YOU AND I, YOU AND I PERSONALLY, HAVE A MUCH CLOSER RELATIONSHIP THAN I HAD WITH MR. FLYNN. YOU AND I MET YESTERDAY EVENING. YOU AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER ALL DAY TODAY. AND NOW WE’RE MEETING AGAIN. WHEN I CAME TO THE EVENT FOR OUR COMPANY, RUSSIA TODAY, AND SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE, NEXT TO ME THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN SITTING ON ONE SIDE. I MADE MY SPEECH. THEN WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OTHER STUFF. AND I GOT UP AND LEFT. AND THEN AFTERWARDS I WAS TOLD, “YOU KNOW THERE WAS AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN, HE WAS INVOLVED IN SOME THINGS. HE USED TO BE IN THE SECURITY SERVICES.” THAT’S IT. I DIDN’T EVEN REALLY TALK TO HIM. THAT’S THE EXTENT OF MY ACQUAINTANCE WITH MR. FLYNN [LAUGHING].
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Jake Urbanski
NBC News
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