The United States was ready to use terrorists to destabilize the intra-political situation in Russia, the country's President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with American director Oliver Stone in his film The Putin Interviews.
Putin pointed out how US intelligence agencies supported militants during the war in Chechnya. "Back then, We clearly understood that our US counterparts, when speaking about their support for Russia, claimed they were ready for cooperation in fighting terrorism, but in reality they were using those terrorists to destabilize Russia’s domestic situation," he noted.
"Those ideas are still alive," Putin said in response to Stone’s comment about attempts by US intelligence agencies to whip up new hotbeds of tension in Central Asia or in the North Caucasus.
"Unfortunately, the US supported those developments," Putin resumed. "The Cold War faded into history a long time ago, we have good transparent relations with the world, with Europe, with the United States."
"Surely, we did hope for support, but instead of it we saw how US intelligence services supported terrorists," the president added.
Vladimir Putin also said that the United States has contributed to creation of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and should understand that it is responsible for this situation.
"Al-Qaeda is not the result of our activities. This is the result of activities of our US friends. This all started in the times of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. When the US security services supported different movements of Islamic fundamentalism in their struggle against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. The US side has nurtured both al-Qaeda and [infamous terrorist Osama] bin Laden," Putin said in a part of the interview.
The Russian leader noted that the situation had ran out of Washington's control.
"It always happens like this. Our US partners should have been aware of it. It is their fault," Putin said.
