President Vladimir Putin has claimed Russia is not homophobic, saying the rest of the world has merely branded the country that way.

The Russian leader has claimed other countries, such as the US, is actually far more homophobic.

He was forced to defend his anti-gay laws, the ‘gay propaganda’ law and the ban on people from countries with same-sex marriage adopting Russian children. Putin was speaking with representatives of the Human Rights Council and the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia today (5 December).

‘Russia is not intending to breach the rights of gays though the priority of the country is a traditional family,’ he claimed.

‘The problem with the rights of gays in Russia is a label put on Russia by other states.’

The president claimed the United States, which technically still has 14 states that ban gay sex (although they are all invalidated under a 2003 Supreme Court ruling), was far more homophobic as ‘[Russia] has no criminal liability’.

‘We have this label that we persecute people with a different sexual orientation, but we do not do so under criminal law,’ he added.

Putin said the country’s legislation is aimed only at protecting children from being influenced and traumatised by propaganda from the LGBTI community.

‘A society that cannot protect its children has no future.’