When Western politicans say things this insanely ridiculous, I criticize them, too. If one is making remarks at an international conference, one should expect that someone else besides one’s own translator will understand them.
I’d criticize Putin less for this one screwup if I didn’t think (and if painfully bloody experience hadn’t already shown) it were so indicative of his stance on the substantive issue at hand, which is the human rights situation in Chechnya.