In an interview with Austria's Kurier newspaper, Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst explained her desire to visit Russia and spend a week with Vladimir Putin in order to better "understand" him.
The Local Austria reports:
“What does it mean to be Vladimir Putin? What pressure is he under?” she wondered. “At the end of the day, Putin just wants to be respected. This desire for respect unites Putin with minorities.”
Wurst added, however, that whatever pressure Putin is under does not excuse his country's discriminatory laws and that she has many fans in Russia which to her is "incredibly beautiful because it shows that many Russians do not agree with the decisions of their government."
RT notes Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, "reportedly laughed off the possibility of a meeting between Wurst and the Russian president".
Check out Wurst's full (German language) interview with Kurier here.
Earlier this month, we reported Wurst would be returning to Eurovision Song Contest next year as a presenter and host.
