Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that United States President Donald Trump was right to sue the BBC over edited footage of a speech that Trump says falsely portrayed him as encouraging supporters to storm the Capitol.
Annual end-of-year press conference
Speaking at his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow, Putin criticised what he described as media manipulation, saying such practices undermine public trust and distort political reality.
Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion in damages against the BBC, Britain's publicly funded broadcaster, alleging that edited clips of a past speech made it appear he had incited violence during the January 6 Capitol attack.
The BBC has apologised for the editing error but said it intends to defend the legal case. The lawsuit has reignited debate over media responsibility, political bias and the limits of editorial discretion, while Putin's comments highlight how Western media controversies are closely followed by Moscow.