The News

Putin: Fight Against Terror is Global Effort

Smoke billows from the Zaventem Airport after a controlled explosion in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Bombs struck the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing and wounding dozens of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the terror attacks in Brussels have underlined the need to pool global efforts for combating terrorism.

Putin spoke in televised remarks Tuesday as he met with visiting Finnish President President Sauli Niinisto.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Photo: AP/Krill Kudryavtsev/Pool.

Putin began by offering condolences to the families of the victims in Brussels. He added “we have repeatedly discussed the issues related to the fight against terrorism, and it’s possible to efficiently combat it only by united efforts.”

Some other Russian officials and lawmakers have criticized Western reluctance to cooperate with Moscow on fighting terrorism amid the strain in Russia-West ties over the Ukrainian crisis.

A man looks at flowers and messages outside the stock exchange in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Photo: AP/Geert Vanden Wijngaert.