MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Communist Party newspaper, the Pravda, has tentatively agreed to publish an op-ed penned by US Senator John McCain, well-known for his vociferous criticism of the Russian leadership, the US publication Foreign Policy reported.
The agreement has been prompted by McCain’s interview with CNN on Thursday where the senior Republican senator slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s op-ed in The New York Times criticizing Washington’s push for military action in Syria.
McCain, who had earlier called Putin’s piece “an insult to the intelligence of every American,” joked “I would love to have a commentary in Pravda,” referring to Russia’s restrictive press policies.
Foreign Policy's blog The Cable sent the transcript of the interview to Pravda and received a surprising offer to publish an op-ed written by McCain.
"If John McCain wants to write something for us, he is welcome," The Cable quoted Dmitry Sudakov, the English editor of Pravda, as saying.
“We have been critical of his stance on Russia and international politics in our materials, but we would be only pleased to publish a story penned by such a prominent politician as John McCain,” Sudakov reportedly said.
According to The Cable, McCain’s office immediately took the Russian paper up on the offer and promised to submit a piece by next Wednesday. A final version will be both in English and Russian, to ensure the accuracy of translation.
McCain's communications director Brian Rogers told The Cable that the op-ed would most likely address democracy and human rights in Russia as well as “the Putin regime's aiding and abetting of the Syrian regime.”
Pravda’s editorial staff was not available for comments on McCain’s op-ed agreement on Friday night.
