Vladimir Putin has said his support for “traditional family values” will not lead to the persecution of gay people in Russia, reports ZeeNews.

In January, Putin said that Russia should cleanse itself of homosexuality.

In a state-of-the-nation address last Thursday, the Russian president said “healthy family” and traditional values were among the country’s top priorities.

However, he added that although “traditional family” is preferable, “this should not look as if we intend to persecute people of some non-traditional orientation.”

Despite introducing a controversial anti-gay law last year which bans the “promotion” of homosexuality and has been seen as an excuse to crackdown on LGBT people, Putin added that criticism from other countries is merely “a label.”

Watch Putin defend Russia’s anti-gay laws, AFTER THE JUMP…