Depardieu 'Shocked' By Ukraine Situation

Film star Gerard Depardieu has praised his friend Vladimir Putin at Cannes Film Festival, and said he was "shocked" at the Ukraine situation.

The actor was speaking as he presented his new movie Valley Of Love with fellow French icon Isabelle Huppert.

Depardieu was photographed getting very close to his co-star on the red carpet, even appearing to lean in for a kiss on the lips at one point.

The 66-year-old faced questions about his much-criticised decision to take Russian citizenship in 2013.

"I like everybody, I think conflict is a terrible thing," he said.

"I know Vladimir Putin, I like him very much. I go to the USSR a lot, err, Russia," he added, drawing a laugh at a news conference.

Depardieu insisted that "no one understands the situation in Ukraine".

Western countries have accused the Russian president of illegally annexing Crimea and continuing to arm pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"Like anyone, I'm shocked by the situation," said Depardieu.

"I love the Ukrainian people but conflicts are not my area."

He added: "The same goes for Russia, there are so many different ethnicities in Russia ... I don't pretend to know, or be the spokesman for, anything. I hate war, I hate conflict because people die."

But he indulged in a sideswipe at the United States: "I know if Crimea had been American it would have been different. Think about it."

Depardieu befriended Mr Putin and accepted a Russian passport after criticising taxes on top earners in his native France.

The larger-than-life star said he was happy to still be making French films, not least for the lifestyle it affords.

"I became an actor because I love it, it makes me happy, and you earn a lot of money," he said.

"That may sound vulgar but that's how it is."

The film festival finishes on Sunday when the winner of the Palme d'Or will be announced.