hours of his grand jurors time just to make a point or to intimidate mr. nunberg. we know a lot was discuss, because that's a lot of people's time. and we'll be reporting next week on what we learned. be sure to >> if the 13 russian nationals plus three russian companies did, in fact, interfere in our elections, is that okay with you? >> i don't care. i couldn't care less. >> reporter: american democracy -- under attack. tonight, megyn's kelly's no-holds-barred interview with vladimir putin. >> why would you allow an attack like this on the united states? >> why have you decided the russian authorities gave anybody permission to do this? >> this is some sort of nonsense. >> come on -- >> nyet. >> come on -- >> this is all a smokescreen. none of this could or would have happened without the direct authority of the man who sits in the kremlin. >> reporter: putin on trump -- >> never a harsh word for you.

>> reporter: putin on syria -- >> do you believe the chemical weapons attacks in syria are fake news? >> of course. first of all, the syrian government long ago destroyed their chemical weapons. we're not even interested in it. i just feel like saying -- simply boring. >> the bodies of dead children thanks to sarin gas attacks, that's boring? >> reporter: and will america be attacked again? >> so what does that mean for our elections in 2018, in 2020? we can expect more of the same? >> i didn't say that we don't have the goal of putting an end to it. >> you just said that. >> no. no, i did not say that. >> this is the most significant incursion into american society since pearl harbor. good evening. i'm megyn kelly in moscow. the seat of government, for a man who many american officials believe has launched a cyber war on american democracy. his name, of course, is vladimir putin.

and, tonight, in an at times combative interview, he responds to the charges made by the special counsel against russians accused of trying to upend the 2016 election. in the coming days, mr. putin himself is up for reelection and it is clear he is trying to burnish his tough guy image. >> reporter: as i arrived in russia i was immediately reminded, the russian-american relationship is as cold as moscow in march. colder than it's been in a long time. inside the kremlin you can't miss the splendor of russia's storied past. and vladimir putin is determined to lead his country back to its days of glory. he is projecting power with new, supposedly invincible, nuclear weapons. symbols that marked our dangerous cold war stand off. >> ya ni razu. >> reporter: when i spoke with him last june in st. petersburg, president putin denied attacking american democracy, despite the findings of our american intelligence agencies. this time, armed with new evidence, i went back to

confront him. >> so the last time we met in june, i asked you about the conclusion of our american intelligence agencies that russia interfered in our presidential election. you told me that there was nothing specific in these reports. that if there's anything specific, you said, then there will be something to discuss. you told me as they used to say in the kgb addresses, houses, names. since then 13 russians and three russian-owned companies have been indicted by a special prosecutor named robert mueller in the united states for interfering in our election. the internet research agency yevgeny prigozhin and others running a cyber warfare operation out of an office at 55 savushkina street, saint petersburg, russia. addresses, houses, names. so can we have that discussion now? >> of course. not only can we but it seems to me that if this particular subject continues to trouble you, we actually should talk about it. >> why would you allow an attack

like this on the united states? >> why have you decided the russian authorities, myself included, gave anybody permission to do this? nothing has changed since you and i talked last time in saint petersburg. some names have popped up. so what? they could just as easily have been the names of some americans who are sitting here and interfering in your own political process. >> but it wasn't americans. it was russians. and it was hundreds of people, a monthly budget of $1.25 million all designed to attack the united states in a cyber warfare campaign. you're up for reelection right now. should the russian people be concerned that you had no idea this was going on in your own country, in your own hometown? >> listen, the world is very large. and very diverse. and there is a fairly complicated relationship between the united states and the russian federation.

and some of our people have their own opinion about this relationship. you mentioned a number of names. some individuals. and you're telling me that they're russians. so what? >> do you condone these activities? >> no. we don't encourage them and we don't order them. but what i'm saying is that, individuals could have used certain tools in other countries. they could have sent relevant information from france, from germany, from -- from -- asia, from russia. what does it have to do with us? >> so it wasn't the russians. >> okay, fine, russians. but they were not government officials. so what if they're russians? there are 146 million russians. so what? >> reporter: so what is he doing about it. >> if the 13 russian nationals plus three russian companies did, in fact, interfere in our elections, is that okay with you? >> i don't care. i couldn't care less. because they don't represent -- >> you couldn't care less? >> they do not represent the government. i could not care less.

they do not represent the interests of the russian state. maybe they're not even russians. maybe they're ukrainians, tatars, jews, just with russian citizenship. even that needs to be checked. maybe they have dual citizenship. or maybe a green card. maybe it was the americans who paid them for this work. how do you know? i don't know. >> reporter: earlier i asked mr. putin if he was investigating the attack. >> what have you done to satisfy yourself that the 13 russian nationals who have just been indicted, those three russian companies were not behind this? this has caused an international incident. >> i know that they do not represent the russian state, the russian authorities. >> will you extradite them to the united states? >> russia does not extradite its citizens to anyone. just like the united states. does the united states extradite its citizens to anyone? that's for starters. second, i do not see that they did something illegal. >> reporter: mr. putin then tried to turn the tables on the united states. >> we tell them, just recently, at a very high level, "but you

constantly interfere in our political life." can you imagine, they don't even deny it. >> you've stated explicitly you believe that america interfered in russian elections. right? >> it does so constantly. >> but russia did not interfere in america's election? >> no. nor does it intend to. it's impossible to do. >> why not? why wouldn't you? >> first of all, we have our own principles which consist of not allowing anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. and we don't get into the affairs of others. those are our principles. >> come on. >> no. >> come on. you told me just yesterday because we were amping up our missile defense systems you had to respond in kind with increased nuclear technology. now you want me to believe that we attack your russian elections and say, "we're gonna take the high road." >> we're not talking about missiles here. this is an entirely different area. >> cyber warfare. >> this isn't any kind of cyber warfare. and we don't have the tools that you have.

we don't have the global media that you have. we have only russia today. and even that you declared -- >> you have cyber tools. >> you keep interrupting me. that is not polite. >> reporter: polite or not, i continued to press mr. putin on the russian connection. >> the mueller indictment is very specific about what the russians were doing. there is a specific email, a damning email that is cited therein by a female russian who appears to have been caught red-handed. she says as follows, "we had a slight crisis here at work. the f.b.i. busted our activity. not a joke. so i got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues. i created all these pictures and posts and the americans believed that it was written by their people." and now you wanna sit here and say you don't have the tools to do it? that we have the market on cyber interference? that's just not true. >> i don't even understand what you're talking about right now. you know, this is some sort of nonsense. >> reporter: as our exchange grew more intense, i asked him about russian corruption, chemical weapons, and mr. putin's personal connection

to it all. >> reporter: coming up -- the man they call "putin's cook." is he cooking up trouble? >> some people say his real job is to do your dirty work. is to do your dirty work.

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>> do you believe his denials on the election interference? >> i don't speak russian, but there's no word in russian these days for freelancing. the idea that anybody in russia would have done such things as interfere in the american elections without vladimir putin's personal okay is inconceivable. >> not according to mr. putin. in our interview he told us there was no way russians could have swayed the election to president trump. >> could anyone really believe that russia, thousands of miles away, with the help two or three russians, like you said, whom i don't even know, that they interfered, and influenced the outcome of the election? doesn't -- doesn't that sound ridiculous even to you? >> not at all ridiculous when you learn this -- mr. putin does know at least one of the russians named in the indictment. according to mueller, this man yevgeny prigozhin helped bankroll the cyber operation used to interfere in the 2016 election. prigozhin is a powerful russian oligarch whose close association

with the russian president has earned him a nickname "putin's cook." >> it's not true that you don't know the individuals who are accused of conducting this. one of your good friends is actually accused of helping conduct this. his name is yevgeny prigozhin. you know him? >> i know that person. but i wouldn't consider him one of my friends. this is just twisting the facts around. he is a businessman. he is involved in the restaurant business and some other business. but he is not a government official. we don't have anything to do with him. >> after you heard that he had been indicted, did you pick up the phone and call him? >> like i have nothing better to do. i've got so many things to do and so many problems -- >> he's your friend. he's just been indicted. did -- didn't you hear what i said?e he's not a friend of mine. i do know this person. but i wouldn't list him among my friends. wasn't i clear? and there is a great number of individuals like that. in russia there are 146 million people. not as many as in the u.s., but still a pretty large number. you -- you said that --

>> he's pretty prominent. >> he's well known, so what? there are plenty of well-known people in russia. he's not a public official. he's not a government employee. he's just a private individual. a businessman. >> some people say his real job is to do your dirty work. >> who are these people? and what dirty work? i don't engage in any dirty work. everything i do is out in the open. this is like a stereotype for you. you have someone who likes doing dirty work and you think that we do the same. no, that's not the case. >> it's "a", the fact that you know him. you admit that. he's a prominent russian businessman. and he's specifically accused of running this operation. "b", this is the same man who's been accused of sending russian mercenaries into syria and they attacked a compound held by american-backed militia. this guy gets around. >> you know, this individual may have very diverse interests

including, for example, interests in the area of -- the fuel and energy industry in syria. however, we do not support him in any way. we do not interfere with him in any way. and we do not assist him. it's his own personal initiative. >> yevgeny prigozhin says he has no connection to the russian mercenaries in syria and denies involvement in any election interference. for his part, mr. putin insists his country has no desire to intervene in american politics. >> it's not our goal to interfere. we do not see what goal we would accomplish by interfering. there's no goal. so, let's say we put an -- >> let's imagine we set ourselves the goal of interfering. for what? for the sake of interfering? what is the goal? so, i'm -- >> creating chaos. that's the goal. >> that's certainly the belief of the u.s. intelligence community. >> i think his motivations were many. he really does try to shape the internal politics of other countries. >> john brennan is a former cia director and now an nbc news

analyst. >> one of the real purposes of the russian interference in the election was to undermine the integrity of that democratic process here in the united states, to create some confusion to weaken the united states' government. and then the u.s. government is not gonna be able to deal with international issues and -- and confronting, i think, russian aggression as assertively as it needs to. >> in any case, mr. putin told us he cannot do anything about the activities of private russian citizens. >> you can't? the russian intelligence services cannot find out who's doing this, bring it to your attention? you're unable to stop it? >> well, maybe, if we started doing it in a purposeful way, we probably could have identified these individuals if they do exist. but we don't have that objective or that goal. >> so you have no goal to stop it? and so what does that mean for our elections in 2018, in 2020? we can expect more of the same? >> i didn't say that we don't have the goal of putting an end to it. i said that we have -- >> you just said that. >> no. no, i did not say that. what i said is that we do not interfere in the private lives

of our people. and we can't prevent them from expressing their points of view. including on the internet. >> he maintained his hands were tied by russian law. >> internally you could put a stop to this if you had the desire. >> i -- listen to what i'm saying, i want you to hear what i'm saying. we will stand in the way of anything that violates existing russian laws. if they do not violate russian laws then -- there would be nothing to bring them to justice -- for -- >> would this violate russian law? >> i have to see first what they've done. give us the materials. nobody's giving us anything. >> you know what it is. hacking into the democratic national committee, hacking into john podesta's email, creating interference in our election by creating bots that spread false information on twitter, on facebook, spreading misinformation when it comes to black lives matter, when it comes to the shooting we just had in parkland, florida, when it comes to our presidential election. spreading fake news in order to

alter the course of a presidential race. that's what i'm talking about. >> you know with all due -- with all due respect , i want you to understand once and for all, after all, you do have people with legal degrees there don't you? you probably do. i am 100% sure that there are, and that there are people who are well-educated who must understand and know that we in russia cannot prosecute anyone as long as they have not violated russian law. moreover, we cannot open an investigation if there's no cause for that. our conversation today cannot be the cause for that. >> intelligence agencies in the united states. now a special prosecutor with a criminal indictment. that's not enough for you for to look into it? >> absolutely not. and if you do not have a legal degree i can tell you. for that you need a request through -- >> i do. >> through -- well, in that case, you must understand that what it takes is an official request to the prosecutor general's office of the russian federation. and even then we don't have an agreement with you whereby we could act. but at least send us a piece of paper. >> vladimir putin could not order an investigation into whether this was done in a way that undermines its relations

with a major partner, uni -- the united states of america? >> give us a document. give us an official request. and we'll take a look at it. >> you said that the last time. and now i'm back with an indictment. >> and now the same this year. and now there is no document. >> again, i asked richard haass for his assessment. >> and all that stuff about, "i'm gonna take a look to see whether it violates russian law"? >> what putin is giving you is the appearance of legality, of due process. but this is all a smokescreen. none of this could or would have happened without the direct authority of the man who sits in the kremlin. >> coming up -- >> he might be bad, he might be good, but he's a strong leader. >> president trump seems to have a soft spot for president putin. >> never a harsh word for you. why do you think he's so nice to you? >> never a harsh word for y. why do you think he's so nice to you? friends, colleagues, gathered here are the world's finest insurance experts. rodney -- mastermind of discounts

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>> reporter: the russian attack on american democracy has dominated u.s. politics since 2016. >> my concern is -- >> reporter: but what worries nsa director mike rogers is the certainty more attacks are coming. >> everything. both as the director of nsa and on the cyber command side leads me to believe that, if we don't change the dynamic here, this is going to continue and 2016 won't be viewed as something isolated. this is something that will be sustained over time. >> reporter: retired admiral

james stavridis is former nato supreme allied commander and chief international security and diplomacy analyst for nbc news. >> the intrusion into our electoral process is the most significant incursion into american society since pearl harbor. >> if you were advising the president on how to respond to that, what would you tell him to do? >> i'd say we gotta be doing three things. the first is we oughta be increasing our defensive game so that we can know when this is happening to us. the second thing is we need to reveal to the world when it does happen. we need to be very open and very accusatory toward russia. and thirdly, we oughta retaliate. >> reporter: that has not been the american response so far. instead, the president has tended to give vladimir putin the benefit of the doubt. >> i believe that he feels that

he and russia did not meddle in the election. >> reporter: the notion that donald trump might have a soft spot for vladimir putin began years ago. >> he's done a very brilliant job in terms of what he represents and who he's representing. he's running his country and at least he's a leader. i mean he might be bad, he might be good but he's a strong leader. >> let me ask you about president trump. any time he says anything about you it is supremely deferential. never a harsh word for you. although, if you look at the way he speaks about members of his own party, even of his own staff, never mind other political leaders, he frequently personally insults them. why do you think he's so nice to you? >> i don't believe he treats me personally with reverence, i believe that he is an experienced person. he's a businessman with vast experience. and he understands that if you need to -- if it is necessary to establish a cooperative relationship with someone, then you have to treat your current or potential partner with respect.

otherwise nothing will come of it. i think this is a purely pragmatic approach. firstly. secondly, despite the fact that he's a first-time president, still he is a quick study after all. and he understands very well that this level, where we are, engaging in mutual accusations and insults, this is a road to nowhere. and if you have noticed i always treat my colleagues, not only in the united states but in europe and in asia, with unwavering respect. >> you may. but the truth is our president has referred to the leader of north korea as little rocket man. so he -- he's not quite as diplomatic depending on who he's talking about. i'm sure you saw that, yes? >> yes i've heard. and -- and you know our reaction to this. we call on everyone to show reserve. >> reporter: thursday evening president trump accepted the north korean leader's invitation to meet later this year. the kremlin called it "a step in the right direction."

as for the trump-putin relationship. >> he's praised your leadership. is he an effective leader? >> well, again, it's up to the american people to decide. but he clearly has leadership qualities. they are clearly present because he takes responsibility for making decisions. again, whether or not someone likes these decisions or not, he makes them nonetheless. that is undoubtedly a sign of having these leadership qualities. >> do you ever read his tweets? >> no. >> do you ever tweet? >> no. >> why not? >> i have other ways of expressing my point of view or implementing a decision. donald is a more modern individual. >> would you say he's more colorful than you are? >> perhaps. >> reporter: donald trump first visited russia 30 years ago. over the years he has pursued russian investment. with russian financing mr. trump built luxury towers. wealthy russians bought his condos and leased his name for

their own projects. >> reporter: shortly before mr. trump took his miss universe pageant to moscow in 2013, he told david letterman that he'd met vladimir putin. >> vladimir putin. have you ever met the guy? >> tough guy. i met him once. >> reporter: on the day of the pageant, he said this. >> i do have a relationship with him. >> reporter: afterward, this. >> i was in russia. i was in moscow recently and i spoke indirectly and directly with president putin who could not have been nicer. >> reporter: and in 2016, this. >> i never met putin. i don't know who putin is. he said one nice thing about me. he said i'm a genius. >> reporter: mr. putin's version of the story, however, hasn't changed. >> now, donald came over here to russia even before he was a candidate. i didn't even know that had been here. well, in other words, i found out after the fact. i was told that he, in fact, had been in russia. i have no clue that he was in russia. >> years ago before donald trump ran for president he said he

knew you and that he spoke with you a lot. is that true? >> no. no i never met him. before -- before his presidency? before he ran? >> before he ran. >> no, i didn't know him. i had never even talked to him on the phone or otherwise. >> reporter: as for the future of the trump/putin relationship, former cia chief john brennan says that's to be determined. >> i do think the trump/putin relationship is going to remain awkward and it's probably going to become more awkward in the coming months as more things come out from bob mueller's investigation. donald trump has to recognize that he holds the -- the future, the security of this country, in many respects, in his hands. and he needs to step up to the plate and make sure that mr. putin doesn't think that he can get away with threatening the united states and challenging our -- our security. coming up: putin, the picture of power? >> how important do you think it is to project strength as a

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>> reporter: here's what vladimir putin wants the world to know -- he is in charge. and not just when he's in a suit and tie, but always. on land -- on sea -- -- even in the air. a point i raised during the first of a two-day interview. how important do you think it is to project strength as a president? >> it's not important to project strength. it's important to manifest strength. and it also matters what our definition of strength is. it's not just a matter of banging your fists and yelling

loudly. >> reporter: and in mr. putin's world, part of showing strength means controlling his image, even if at times it does seem a bit over the top. one of the images that we see of you in the united states is without the shirt on, on the horse. what's that about? >> i'm relaxing. i have a great deal of photographs where i'm in my work setting, my office, but no one is interested in those. [ laughter ] >> reporter: you're saying they like the shirtless photos. >> i've seen a photo of me galloping on a bear. but i haven't galloped on a bear -- yet. but those photographs exist. >> reporter: his critics say that even here, in photos like these, vladimir putin is making you see what he wants you to see -- an art he learned as a spy for the soviet union. >> john mccain was asked, "you've met with putin. you looked into his eyes. what did you see?" john mccain said, "i saw three letters. kgb." that's what we need to

understand about vladimir putin. >> reporter: retired admiral james stavridis says mr. putin is always plying the skills of his old trade, especially against one country in particular. what is behind putin's hatred for the united states? >> his training as a kgb official. his sense of anger at the way he thinks russia was treated at the end of the cold war. and the sanctions, which are beginning to bite in very serious ways. remember, with vladimir putin, in the end all politics are local. he's about his own self-image in russia, of appearing strong and in charge. >> reporter: his opponents say mr. putin also plays the game of smoke-and-mirrors to keep his fellow countrymen, many of whom are suffering financially, distracted. since he's been president, he controlled almost everything, from russia's tanks, to its banks, businesses and natural resources. a few russians, those closest to

mr. putin, have benefited spectacularly. >> this is a state that essentially exists now for the enrichment of vladimir putin and his cronies. this is cronyism. >> reporter: foreign policy expert richard haas. >> what it has been is certain individuals were given certain franchises when things were privatized after the soviet union fell. and there's been phenomenal enrichment by a small group, and that's one of the ways -- indeed it's a principal way, that vladimir putin retains control. a small number of people are very powerful, but also totally beholden to him. >> reporter: and what about mr. putin himself? officially, as president, he earns the equivalent of $100 to $200,000 dollars a year. some financial analysts believe his true fortune is far greater. >> the range i've seen goes from $40 billion to $80 billion to $200 billion. >> reporter: james henry is an

economist and journalist who has chronicled infamous leaders and their money. >> in the case of putin, we have the panama papers story from 2016, which implicated this cellist. >> reporter: he's talking about this man, sergei roldugin, a russian musician and old friend of vladimir putin. in 2016, documents leaked from a panamanian law firm, dubbed the panama papers, revealed roldugin's extensive wealth in off-shore companies. the cellist claims he runs a music foundation. >> a foundation that was basically buying rare instruments and taking them back. nothing with putin's name on it. >> reporter: but critics seized on that, saying the implication was clear: mr. putin was using his old friend roldugin as a front to hide money. let me ask you about sergei -- sergei roldugin. hmm? >> yes. [ laughter ] >> reporter: legend ha -- has it that this guy introduced you to your ex-wife, that he's godfather to one of your daughters. he's a cellist by trade, right? >> yes. so, i know this person very well. he is one of my friends.

he is a remarkable musician. >> reporter: according to the panama papers, this massive series of leaked documents about off-share bank accounts, he's got assets, this cellist, of at least $100 million, including a 1/8th stake in russia's biggest tv ad agency, a $6 million yacht, a stake in a truck manufacturer, a 3% interest in a russian bank. he must be one heck of a musician. >> you know, i'm not aware of his business affairs -- of what he does. but believe me, i know for certain, that his actual income is just enough to buy those musical instruments. everything else is just paper -- it's just moving paper around. he has nothing else except what he's acquired. >> reporter: people think -- >> well, he might have something else. but again, you should ask him that. i don't run his life after all. >> reporter: the question is how a cellist makes that much money. people ask it because many

people believe that's really your money. >> listen, look at many of our artists. and you probably have people like that yourself. you also have hollywood individuals, some of whom own restaurants, some buy stocks. aren't there enough people in the show business industry in the united states? there are plenty. a lot more than we have. and we have a lot of them. >> reporter: there's no issue making money. i'm an american. we're capitalists. the question is whether that's really your money. >> it definitely isn't my money. >> reporter: but if that money does, in fact, belong to vladimir putin, he may have to stay in power to enjoy his wealth. >> from a certain standpoint, you have to sympathize with vladimir putin. he's created a system that depends on him and he can't leave. if he leaves, he loses all this wealth and power. and there's no one else he can s -- necessarily trust. >> reporter: then again, vladimir putin shows no sign of losing anything. far from it. coming up -- mr. putin's definition of "fake

news." >> do you believe the chemical weapons attacks in syria are fake news? >> of course. we're not even interested in it. i just feel like saying, "this is simply boring." >> the bodies of dead children >> the bodies of dead children thanks to sarin gas attacks, - there's a common thread i see every time i'm in the field. while this was burning, you were saving other homes. neighbors helping neighbors and strangers alike. - this is what america's about. - sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. hello. - hi. how's it going? - alright, how ya doing? - welcome! so, this is the all-new chevy traverse. what do ya think? this looks better than 99% of the suvs out there. it's very modern... sleek. maybe the most impressive part of the all-new traverse... is what's on the inside. surprise!

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>> reporter: president putin has pumped up his image at home by projecting russian power around the world. in syria, he has propped up the dictator bashar al- assad.

and, western critics say, he shares the blame for the slaughter that has taken place during that country's seven-year-old civil war. john brennan, former director of the cia. >> what has happened in syria is a tragedy. and russia bears great responsibility for many deaths of innocent men, women, and children in syria, in terms of the brutal bombings that have taken place there, the support for bashar assad. basically, it's been genocide against a lot of the syrian people. >> reporter: assad will apparently stop at nothing including the use of outlawed chemical weapons on civilians to win the war. under a un agreement, syria was supposed to turn over all of its chemical weapons and facilities to be destroyed. but recently there have been more chemical attacks. and, no matter what the rest of the world may think. vladimir putin is clearly willing to deny and obfuscate, if it protects his ally, assad.

>> do you believe the chemical weapons attacks in syria are fake news? >> reporter: of course. first of all, the syrian government long ago destroyed their chemical weapons. secondly, we are aware of the plans of the insurgents to make things look like the syrian army is using chemical weapons. thirdly, all of these are attempts that have repeatedly -- repeatedly taken place in the not-so-distant past. these accusations that were used as a justification to consolidate efforts in fighting assad. we are all well aware of it. we understand it. we're not even interested in it. i just feel like saying, simply boring. >> the bodies of dead children thanks to sarin gas attacks, that's boring? >> are you positive that these bodies are the result of what the government forces did? i believe the opposite. it's the result of the actions of criminals. >> reporter: are you positive that they're not? >> radical elements.

terrorists who commit these crimes in order to accuse president assad of doing that. >> that's not what the united nations has concluded. they autopsied the bodies of the dead children. your foreign minister suggested it was all made up. do you believe that? >> reporter: of course. i am absolutely convinced as a matter of fact. after all there was no serious investigation there. >> there were no dead bodies? >> there may have been dead bodies, which does happen at war. take a look at how mosul was taken. everything was razed to the ground. or take a look at how raqqa was taken. to this day there are dead bodies under the ruins and they haven't been buried. don't you want to remember that? >> that's what we call whataboutism. that's you pointing to somebody else's bad behavior to justify your own or that of your ally. we're talking about assad and dead children thanks to sarin gas. sarin gas. and you're telling an international audience it never

happened? >> listen, in order to be sure of this a thorough investigation on location with evidence gathering needs to be done. none of this was done. let's do it. >> reporter: but russia has vetoed multiple u.n. resolutions to investigate chemical weapon attacks in syria. >> since the beginning of the year there have been at least four chlorine-based chemical weapons attacks in syria. our secretary of state, tillerson, just said that russia bears the responsibility for this given your earlier promises to rein in chemical weapons attacks in syria. your response? >> my response is that a) we have nothing to do with it and we demand a full-fledged investigation. and as far as criminal acts are concerned, please go back to raqqa and at least bury the bodies that are still under the ruins and the debris as a result of indiscriminate shelling of the residential neighborhoods. and investigate that. then you'll have something to

keep you busy. >> reporter: deflect and deny. deny and deflect. it seems to be the russian president's way. foreign policy expert richard haas. >> he would like the world to think that he's there doing good things, fighting terrorism. but at the same time, what he is doing is looking the other way when, among other things, the syrian government uses chemical weapons to kill young children. but he has to deny that in order to put some distance between the-- the russian government and the syrian government. he doesn't want more sanctions. he doesn't want that kind of international criticism. >> coming up, can the us-russian relationship be repaired? >> how do we walk this back? how do we get to the place where these two great nations are less adversaries and something closer to allies. i accept i don't bike the miles i used to. i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem.

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>> later this month, russians will go to the polls to elect a president. there are eight candidates on the ballot, but there's little doubt about the outcome. recent polls show vladimir putin has the support of about 70% of the country. >> you are poised to be re-elected for your fourth term as president here in russia. right? >> well, we will see. it's up to the russian voters. >> well, sort of. after all, the russian leader controls almost everything in the country including the media. and, critics say, he rules by fear.

>> putin has allegedly left a trail of dead enemies, from journalists who criticized him to opponents. do you believe that he is personally behind those murders? >> it's hard for me to believe, in this most top-down, controlled of societies, anyone would take such actions by themselves. >> just days ago, in england, somebody did take action against a former russian spy and his daughter. they were mysteriously poisoned. the kremlin denies any involvement. as for political opponents, they are often harassed and discredited. take the country's best-known opposition leader and anti-corruption fighter, alexei navalny. in january, navalny was arrested for the umpteenth time for organizing anti-kremlin rallies. he's a hero to russian millennials, a master of social media. but russia's leaders see him as a dangerous influence and barred

him from running in the election, because of a fraud conviction many believe was politically motivated. >> how does somebody like vladimir putin, who's as popular as you are here in russia, feel any threat from navalny? i realize he's gotten in legal trouble. but couldn't you pardon this guy and let him mount a meaningful challenge to you? >> i would like to cooperate with those people. and i am prepared to do so who are trying to make russia a stronger, more competitive, more effective country. a country that is self-sufficient. there are people like that. including -- >> but navalny is such a man. navalny's such a man and has a fair amount of popularity here in russia. >> anyone can be pardoned. as long as he deserves it. >> why don't you? >> as long as he deserves it. >> assuming he wins re-election, mr. putin will be running russia until 2024. the russian constitution does not allow a president to serve

more than two consecutive terms, but constitutions can be amended, term limits can be abolished. >> the chinese president just abolished term limits. is that something you would ever do? >> i think i did tell you yesterday that -- i said that i never amended the constitution. and particularly, i have never done so to suit my own interests and i don't have any such plans today. >> but stepping down from the presidency carries risks. >> can you leave power? because some of the experts that we've spoken to have said it would be near impossible for you, because someone in your position would likely either be thrown in jail by your adversaries or worse. they -- they said it's actually sad that you'll have to stay in power in order to stay well. >> your so-called experts engage in wishful thinking. i have heard a ton of nonsense on this matter. why are you so certain that the people who come to power in russia after me would like to destroy everything i have done in the last few years?

perhaps on the contrary, they'll be people who will want to strengthen russia, to create a future for it, to create a platform to foster future generations. >> but that's years away. here's where the u.s.-russian relationship stands now -- the two countries are barely talking. russia desperately wants an end to sanctions that were imposed four years ago. and there is evidence that the russians, having interfered in one u.s. election, are already trying to disrupt another. >> do you think there's a chance that russia and the u.s. could actually partner together again? >> i think we're probably facing a future where most of what happens between the united states and russia under putin is adversarial, but there still could be little pockets of limited cooperation. >> one of the questions our audience is gonna have is how do we walk this back? how do we get to the place where these two great nations are less adversaries and something closer to allies, which we clearly are not right now. do you agree we are not?

>> unfortunately not. but we are not the ones who labeled you our enemies. you made a decision, at the level of parliament, at the level of congress and put russia on your list of enemies. why did you do that? are we the ones who imposed sanctions on the united states? the u.s. imposed sanctions on us. >> you know why. >> no, i don't know why. listen, let's sit down calmly, talk and figure things out. i believe that the current president wants to do that. but there are forces that won't let him do it. we are prepared to do so on any subject, including missile issues, including cyberspace, including counter-terrorism. any time. >> but experts say a move to the table is highly unlikely right now and the man in the kremlin knows that. >> this is the grand kremlin palace. and if, as expected, vladimir putin is re-elected in a few weeks, he will walk through these magnificent rooms to take his oath as president of russia. will his next term set russia and the united states on a path to a better relationship -- or

on a collision course? it's clear there's a lot at stake. i'm megyn kelly. for all of us at nbc news, good night. there's this pile of leaves, and it's where everything else is clear and flat. my heart is racing a million miles an hour. i was using my boots to move leaves, and that's when i screamed this blood-curdling scream. >> nique leili, a corporate exec. who made time for romance and her three daughters. >> she was the best mom. >> then she disappeared. dozens joined the search. >> we need nique to come home. >> reporter: then they found her.