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Vladimir Putin explains why life is so much better being a man
Vladimir Putin says life is good because he's a man.
The Russian president, who has praised women in the past for filling "the world with beauty", was asked by film director Oliver Stone whether he ever has bad days.
"I am not a woman so I don't have bad days," Mr Putin replied. “I am not trying to insult anyone. That’s just the nature of things. There are certain natural cycles.”
The comments were among a few eye-opening moments during a wide-ranging interview with the “JFK” and “Wall Street” director.
During a discussion about gay rights, Mr Putin said about a homosexual male: "I prefer not to go in the shower with him. Why provoke him? But you know, I’m a judo master."
Stone, whose series of conversations with Mr Putin air next week on Showtime, is a controversial figure who has interviewed Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez and produced a documentary backing Mr Putin's version of events in the Ukraine.
One critic, Marlow Stern in The Daily Beast, called his latest work a "wildly irresponsible love letter" to the Russian president.
The filmmaker's style does include its share of ingratiating remarks. "You have a lot of discipline, sir," he says at one point. "You are an excellent CEO. Russia is your company," he says at another.
Besides office sit-downs, Mr Putin is interviewed driving a car, walking through horse stables at his home and after he played in a hockey game. When Mr Putin makes a claim about a letter he received from the CIA and Stone asks him to produce it, the Russian president says, "My words are enough."
Stone is aware that he'll receive criticism for not pushing Mr Putin hard enough. "I'm not a journalist," he said. "I'm a filmmaker and I was taking a different approach."
The Russian leader has caused controversy in the past for his stance on women's and gay rights.
In February, he signed a controversial law partially decriminalising domestic violence.
The law ends criminal liability for battery of family members that does not cause bodily harm and is not a repeat offence. It instead makes domestic battery equivalent to minor assault, which is an administrative offence punishable by a 30,000 ruble (£412) fine, 15 days in jail, or 120 hours of community service.
Weeks later, however, he marked International Women's Day by declaring that women "fill this world with beauty and vitality, giving warmth and comfort, cordiality and harmony with your tenderness and generosity of spirit".
Making clear what he thinks women's role in life is, he added: "You care day and night for your children, grandchildren and your family. Even today, on International Women’s Day, you are still caught up in your routine, working tirelessly, always on time. We often ask ourselves, how do they manage it all?"
In another controversial step, Mr Putin signed into law in 2013 a bill punishing people for homosexual "propaganda". Opponents called the bill homophobic and so vaguely defined that it would stir anti-gay sentiment in the country.