McCain to Respond to Putin in Pravda Column

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American Senator John McCain has decided to write a column in Russian newspaper to attack the leadership of Putin one day after The New York Times published Putin's Op-Ed, Foreign Policy's The Cable reported.
"If John McCain wants to write something for us, he is welcome," Dmitry Sudakov, the English editor of Pravda, said.

"Mr. McCain has been an active anti-Russian politician for many years already. We have been critical of his stance on Russia and international politics in our materials, but we would be only pleased to publish a story penned by such a prominent politician as John McCain," he added.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers also confirmed the report on Friday.

"Sen. McCain is glad to take them up on the offer and will submit a piece," Rogers said.

In his column published on Thursday, President Putin sharply blasted the United States for planning to attack Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons, an accusation denied by the Syrian government.

"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States," Putin wrote.

The Russian president also said the United States "is no longer viewed as a model for democracy."

"We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement," he said.

Reacting to the criticism, McCain called Putin's column "an insult to the intelligence of every American."

Source: News agencies