Putin hosts annual Q&A session: LIVE UPDATES

Putin noted that Russia had essentially no boots on the ground in Syria, with its military presence limited to an air force and a naval base. He added that tens of thousands of Syrian military personnel backed by a contingent of Iran-backed forces had withdrawn from Aleppo and many other regions without a fight, while facing only a handful of jihadist militants.

The Russian president also revealed that Moscow had helped Iran to evacuate 4,000 fighters to Tehran from Syria during the crisis.

Putin dismissed speculation that the recent toppling of Assad’s government by jihadist forces should be viewed as a “defeat” for Russia. He recalled that Russia sent troops to Syria in 2015 to prevent the country from turning into a “terrorist enclave.”

“We have accomplished our mission. Even those factions fighting Assad have changed internally,” he said, pointing out that Western countries are now lining up to forge ties with them.

The Russian president reiterated that he is ready to talk or meet with US President-elect Donald Trump. Asked if Trump would want to engage with him only when Russia is weakened, Putin argued that he believes Russia has only become stronger over the past two or three years. “We are becoming a truly sovereign country. There are not many on whom we still depend.”

Putin has said that he has not yet met with former Syrian President Bashar Assad after he was granted asylum in Russia, but plans to do so. 

Putin has labeled a recent oil spill in the Black Sea an environmental “disaster.” Local officials are investigating the incident and taking measures to address its impacts, he added.

The spill occurred in the Kerch Strait, a vital waterway linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, after two tankers, which were carrying over 9,000 tons of fuel, sustained serious damage on Sunday due to stormy weather.

Putin has said he has no doubt that Russia will repair all the damage in its newest territories, which have been devastated by the fighting with Kiev’s forces. He noted that Moscow has a far-reaching restoration and development program that will last until 2030.

The changes in Russia’s nuclear doctrine are a signal that the country could deploy its nuclear arsenal if its sovereignty is threatened, Putin has said.

Addressing speculation about the effectiveness of Oreshnik missiles, Putin challenged the West to what he called a “high-tech duel of the 21st century.”

“Let them choose some kind of facility in Kiev, deploy all their air defenses there, and we will strike there with Oreshniks. Let’s see what happens,” he said.

The West has created two major air defense regions on Russia’s borders, with one positioned in Romania and another in Poland, Putin has said. He noted that while Poland is equipped with more modern systems, they will not be able to intercept Oreshnik missiles.

If the West provides Kiev with THAAD air defense missiles, Russia will ask “our guys in Ukraine to give us insight into some technical solutions that are valuable for us,” Putin has said, stressing that this was not a joke.

“I say this without any irony. We have people to talk to in Ukraine. There are ‘our people’ who, just like us, dream of ridding the country of the neo-Nazi regime.”