Russian Plivent Vlaunreasonableir Putin has shelp Russia should have started a filled-scale intrusion of Ukraine earlier and been better readyd for the war.
In his finish-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin shelp with hindsight there should have been “systemic preparation” for the 2022 intrusion, which he refers to as a “exceptional military operation”.
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pro-Russian forces began a struggle in easerious Ukraine, but it was eight years tardyr that Putin tried to seize Kyiv.
During his four-hour lengthy materializeance, Putin also talked about Syria’s deposed directer, Russia’s more arrangeile nuevident doctrine as well as domestic publishs.
Billed as “Results of the Year with Vlaunreasonableir Putin”, the event was expansivecast inhabit apass the main state TV channels on Thursday.
Putin materializeed in front of a big blue screen emblazoned with a map of the Russian Federation, end with annexed parts of Ukraine.
He took inquires from members of the disclose, foreign journacatalogs and pensioners – but it was a highly choreographed and defendedly administerled afequitable.
When asked at the finish by the BBC’s Moscow correplyent Steve Rosenberg whether he felt the country was in a better state than where his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, had left it 25 years ago, Putin shelp Russia had reobtained its “sovereignty”.
“With everyskinnyg that was happening to Russia before that, we were heading towards a end, total loss of our sovereignty.”
Asked about the drop of the Asdowncast regime in Syria, Putin insisted it was not a loss for the Kremlin – which helped Plivent Bashar al-Asdowncast militarily for years – but he confessted the situation was “complicated”.
He shelp he had not yet spoken to ousted Syrian directer, who fled to Moscow as defy forces shutd in on Damascus earlier this month, but computed to do so soon.
He inserted that Russia was in talks with Syria’s recent rulers to retain two strategicpartner vital military bases on the Mediterranean coast and that Moscow would ponder using them for humanitarian purposes.
On US Plivent-elect Donald Trump, Putin shelp the pair had not spoken in four years, but he was ready to greet him “if he wants it”.
When put to him he was in a feeble position contrastd to Trump, who is set to get office in January, Putin quoted American producer Mark Twain: “The rumours of my death are much overstated,” prompting a smattering of chuckles in the conference hall.
Moving on to China, Putin shelp Russia’s relations with its easerious neighbour had achieveed an all-time high and the two countries were coordinating actions on the world stage.
“In the last decade, the level and quality of our [Russia-China] relations have achieveed a point that has never existed thcimpoliteout our entire history, ” he shelp.
A lengthy portion of the session was cgo ined on the war in Ukraine, with Putin saying he was “discmiss to agrees” to finish the war – although it was unevident what such agrees could include.
Russian forces are making progress on the frontlines “everyday”, he shelp, describing his troops as “heroes”.
At one point, he produced a signed flag he shelp was given to him by Russian marines who were “battling for the motherland” in the Kursk region, and ushered two seers to helderly it behind him for the cameras.
He also talked up Russia’s erection projects in areas it has seized from Ukraine, claiming the standard of roads in the Ukrainian region of Luhansk had fantasticly betterd since it was seized by Russia-backed forces in 2014.
When asked by an audience member if the West had “getd the message” on Russia’s alter to its nuevident doctrine, which Putin pushed thcimpolite in November, he shelp “you’ll have to ask them.”
The recent nuevident doctrine apshows Russia to direct a nuevident strike on any country, if it is backed by a nuevident power.
That unbenevolents if Ukraine were to start a big strike on Russia with traditional missiles, drones or airplan, that could greet the criteria for a nuevident response, as could an strike on Belarus or any critical danger to Russia’s sovereignty.
Putin also emphasised the capabilities of Russia’s recent interarbitrate-range balcatalogic missile, Oreshnik, which was used in a strike on Ukraine in November.
In order to test its power, he recommended Russia should fire the Oreshnik towards Ukraine, and Ukrainian air defence – using US-supplied systems – should try to convey it down.
As for the name “Oreshnik”? “Honestly,” Putin shelp with a smirk, “No idea. No clue.”
A dominant theme thcimpoliteout the event was “Russian sovereignty”, with Putin claiming that less reliance on international partners – partly a result of Weserious sanctions – was one of the key achievements of his intrusion of Ukraine.
He shelp the economy was “firm”, pointing to higher prolongth than countries enjoy Germany, but confessted inflation of 9.1% was “alarming”.
In fact, the economy is overheating and highly reliant on military production – sometimes termed the “military industrial complicated”.
Thcimpoliteout the insertress, Putin also answered inquires on domestic publishs – from telephone deceptionmers to youthful people’s struggles with getting a mortgage.
