The Russian president provides what was apparently meant to be a reassuring comment.

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said Friday that gay people have nothing to fear in Russia as long as they leave children alone.

Putin met with a group of volunteers in the Olympic mountain venue at Krasnaya Polyana to wish them success at the Games. During a question-and-answer session, one volunteer asked him about Russia’s attitudes toward gays, and Putin offered what was apparently meant to be a reassuring answer for visitors to the Olympics.

“One can feel calm and at ease,” he said. “Just leave kids alone, please.”

That phrasing – with its intimation that gays might prey on children – hardly seems the kind of guarantee sought by the United States and other Western governments and human rights activists.

Gay rights have become a contentious issue at the Olympics, which begin Feb. 7, because Russia passed a law last year prohibiting the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual practices” among minors. The law has been used to ban gay rights parades and to curb discussion of gay issues on television and in newspapers for fear that those younger than 18 might hear or read about homosexuality. Teachers ignore the subject, isolating gay teenagers. Some homophobes have interpreted the law as encouragement to beat up on gays. And there has been talk of taking children away from gay parents.

Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, a U.S. advocacy group, said her heart went out to gay and lesbian families who had to live under harsh Russian laws. “Mr. Putin can peddle fear and misinformation, but the global community is increasingly siding with equality for all people,” she said.

The law has provoked deep concern in the United States and other Western countries, where it is seen as an infringement on human rights. European leaders have decided to stay away from the Winter Games, and President Obama sent a protest message by choosing a delegation to represent him that includes Billie Jean King, a well-known gay athlete.

“I think the best thing that can be done is that the media continue to shine a light on this issue,” said Norman Bellingham, former chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee. “There is always the hope that having the Games in an environment brings the full force of the world’s media on the issues in that particular country or region.”

The International Olympic Committee has steadfastly refused to criticize Russia, saying it believes assurances that there will be no discrimination.