MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that three women on trial for a protest performance in Russia's main cathedral should not be judged too harshly, signaling he did not favor lengthy prison terms for the Pussy Riot band members, Russian news agencies reported.

Putin, speaking in London, told journalists there was "nothing good" about the band's protest but added: "Nonetheless, I don't think that they should be judged so harshly for this," Interfax reported. "I hope the court will come out with the right decision, a well-founded one."

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Steve Gutterman)