Russia has demanded a formal apology from Fox News after Bill O’Reilly referred to Vladimir Putin as a “killer” during a pre-Super Bowl interview with President Donald Trump. Russian officials considered the statement “unacceptable and insulting.”
Russian Federation spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We consider such words from the Fox TV company to be unacceptable and insulting, and honestly speaking, we would prefer to get an apology from such a respected TV company.”
Fox News told TheWrap that O’Reilly will respond to Russia’s request for an apology on his show tonight.
During Sunday’s pre-taped interview, Trump told O’Reilly that it’s better to get along with Russia before the “O’Reilly Factor” host said, “He’s a killer though, Putin’s a killer.”
Trump responded by asking, “What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?”
The president has long been criticized for appearing too friendly with Russia, despite U.S. intelligence agencies claiming that Russia attempted to influence the election so that Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton. Trump has downplayed the involvement and his choice for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is known to have deep ties with the country. Still, that has not stopped Russia from getting upset with O’Reilly for his comment.
During Putin’s years ruling the nation, various opposition figures and journalists have been killed, according to the Associated Press.
Check out the interview above.