Putin boasts of Ukraine’s successes, Russia says it is ready for a national missile “duel” with the West
the president Vladimir Putin brags about his military operation Ukraine strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, its main ally in Syria, had damaged Moscow’s authority during its annual press conference and call-in show on Thursday.
He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted more than four hours, to assert his authority and control everything from consumer prices to military equipment.
He claimed that the deployment of troops to Ukraine in 2022 increases Russia’s military and economic power.
“In the last two or three years, Russia has become stronger because it has truly become a sovereign country.” “We are standing strong economically, we are strengthening our defense potential, and our military potential is currently the strongest in the world.”
Putin, who has held power for nearly a quarter of a century and was re-elected for a six-year term in February, said the military was “advancing towards our goals” in what he called a special military operation in Ukraine.
Asked about the new hypersonic ballistic missile Russia used to strike Ukraine for the first time last month, Putin scoffed at claims by some Western experts that it could be intercepted by NATO air defense forces.
He mockingly challenged Ukraine’s allies to a “high-tech duel”, suggesting Moscow could give Kiev advance notice of an Oreshnik missile strike and see if the West could defend the city.
“Let them pick a target, maybe in Kiev, put their air defenses there, and we’ll hit it with the Oreshnik,” he said with a wry smile. “Let’s see what happens.”
Russia is making steady, if slow, progress in Ukraine, but it has also faced embarrassing setbacks. On Tuesday it was Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb A brazen plot planted outside a residential building in Moscow – claimed by Ukraine – has brought the conflict back to the streets of the Russian capital.
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Putin assessed the killing of Kirillov as a “big mistake” by the Russian security agencies and noted that they should learn from it and improve their effectiveness.
Moscow troops are also fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia and have launched an attack from there. When asked when they will expel the Ukrainians, Putin answered, “We will certainly expel them,” but did not say how long it would take.
The show, broadcast live by state-controlled television in Russia’s 11 time zone, is usually dominated by domestic issues, with journalists and ordinary people calling in to ask about rising consumer prices and mortgages, paltry pensions and doctor shortages. However, the Russian leader is being watched especially for his answers regarding foreign policy.
In a flourish typical of marathon press conferences, he asked the audience to unfurl a banner presented to him by Marines who had fought in Kursk as he spoke about Ukraine.
Putin has said he is open to possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
“If we meet with Mr. Trump, there will be things we will discuss,” he said, without elaborating.
Putin said that Russia is open to compromises in potential peace talks regarding Ukraine.
“Politics is the art of compromise,” he said. “We have always said that we are ready for both negotiations and compromises.” At the same time, Putin added that the talks should be based on the “situation on the ground”, a reference to some of the conditions he had previously put forward.
Earlier, Putin demanded that Ukraine refuse to join NATO and recognize Russia’s gains. Kyiv and the West rejected these demands.
In his first comment on the overthrow of Assad, Putin said that he had not yet met with the former Syrian ruler, whom he sheltered in Moscow, but planned to do so. He said that he will ask him about Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria 12 years ago.
“We can also ask this question to the people who are monitoring the situation in Syria,” Putin said in response to a question from NBC’s Keir Simmons, referring to the letter Tice’s mother wrote to the Russian leader asking for help.
Moscow has sought to establish ties with the rebels who ousted Assad and extend the lease of air and naval bases in the country to ensure the safety of its diplomatic and military personnel in the country.
However, it is not clear how much influence Russia will have in Syria. Assad’s ouster was a painful blow to him, as Russia had fought for nine years to support him in the country’s civil war.
However, Putin denied that the events had weakened Moscow, claiming that the air campaign launched in 2015 in support of Assad had achieved his goal of destroying “terrorist” groups in Syria. The West is now ready to establish relations with them.
“This means that our goals have been achieved,” Putin said.
He described Israel as the “main beneficiary” of Assad’s overthrow, drawing attention to the deployment of Israeli troops in southern Syria. He expressed hope that Israel will eventually withdraw these forces, but noted that they are still increasing them.
According to him, Moscow will talk with the new authorities in Syria about the possibility of extending the presence of Russian bases in the country.
“If we stay there, we will have to do something in the interests of the host country,” he said, adding that Moscow has offered to use the Hemeimeen airbase and the naval base in Tartus to deliver humanitarian aid. “What those interests might be, and what we can do for them, is something that both sides will thoroughly explore.”
He noted that the Syrian army had little resistance to the opposition’s attack and said that Russia had flown 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the Hemeymeem air base to Tehran.
Putin began the session by saying that Russia’s economy is on track to grow by about 4 percent this year. He admitted that consumer prices are high and inflation is 9.3 percent, but stressed that the economic situation remains “stable”.
Putin dodged questions about abortion and pornography in Russia, as well as the burial of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin’s body, which has been on display in a mausoleum on Red Square for nearly a century.
The annual show is as much a spectacle as a press conference. Journalists in a hall near the Kremlin wave colorful signs and placards to attract Putin’s attention.
Russian state media reported that ordinary citizens submitted more than 2 million questions before the show.
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