"He turned out to be a strong man, raped 10 women," the Russian president was
quoted by Russian media as saying at a meeting in Moscow with Israeli prime
minister Ehud Olmert. "I never would have expected it of him. He has surprised
us all, we all envy him!"
Israeli police announced on Sunday that the president, Moshe Katsav, could be
charged with the rape and sexual harassment of several women.
Mr Putin, a former KGB spy, is well known for his crude off-the-cuff quips. On
Wednesday he and Mr Olmert met reporters before talks on Iran and bilateral
relations.
"Say hi to your president - he really surprised us," Mr Putin was heard saying
to Mr Olmert as the Kremlin press conference ended. That was the only comment
that reached most journalists' ears, but Andrei Kolesnikov, a Kremlin pool
veteran, heard the rest. "It was one of those moments when you couldn't believe
your ears," he said. Another reporter said officials had burst into laughter.
One of Mr Olmert's delegation said Mr Putin said "dealing with" 10 women, not
raping them. The Kremlin press service confirmed the remarks. A spokesman told
the BBC the comments were meant as a joke and in "in no way meant that
President Putin welcomes rape".
"Russian is a very complicated language, sometimes it is very sensitive from
the point of view of phrasing," he said.
