Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Thursday, combining it with the ‘Direct Line’ question-and-answer session.
It was the third time that the two events had been merged, a decision attributed to Putin’s packed schedule, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The event gathered journalists from across Russia as well as foreign correspondents. Questions from citizens poured in through calls, text messages, social media, and a dedicated website, and had totaled over 2 million by Thursday morning.
For the first time, artificial intelligence was used to streamline the process. Topics of interest included infrastructure, healthcare, housing, and issues related to Russia’s ongoing military operations. Foreign policy concerns took a backseat this year, according to Peskov.
Putin has held similar events annually since 2001, with the exception of 2022. Known for their extensive duration and wide-ranging discussions, the sessions highlight both national priorities and pressing concerns for citizens.
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19 December 2024
It is “natural” for the West to try to downplay the Soviet contribution to victory over Nazi Germany amid geopolitical tensions, as this policy is just another angle to attack Russia, Putin has said. At the same time, Moscow would welcome all representatives of foreign countries, including Western ones, who would like to attend the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in Russia next year, he added.
Asked if he would have changed his decision to send troops to Ukraine in February 2022 if he could go back in time, Putin firmly replied that Russia should have done it earlier. “With this kind of [prior] knowledge, we should have started preparing for this action, including the special military operation,” he said.
The president noted that the decision to launch the military campaign was made without much preparation because Russia “could no longer tolerate” Ukraine's behavior, referring to Kiev's aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons and its open refusal to abide by the now-defunct Minsk agreements, which sought to give Donbass a special status within the Ukrainian state.
Putin has acknowledged that two and a half years of the Ukraine conflict have taken their toll on him as a person. The hostilities “have been a challenge for all of us, for the entire country, and for me,” he said, explaining that he now rarely laughs or makes jokes.
Asked why he had not commented on US President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter – who had pleaded guilty to tax charges and was found guilty of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun, despite earlier promising not to do so – Putin remarked: “It is often said that silence is golden.”
Biden is “a politician,” the president continued. “It’s always important whether he is more of a politician or more of a human being. It turns out he was more of a human being. I’m not going to condemn him for that.”
Asked whether Russia should introduce a blanket ban on porn websites, Putin listed the issue among very delicate questions. “They watch porn everywhere in the world. It is like ordering a steak. This problem exists everywhere.”
According to Putin, the only real remedy is offering an alternative to porn which would appeal more to broader audiences. “So that a person takes a look at a porn website, and says: 'No, I’ve already seen that. I want something else,'” he quipped, eliciting laughter.
Asked which deceased world leaders he would like to have tea with, Putin said he had very warm memories of former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, ex-French president Jacque Chirac, and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
He described Kohl, who oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany, as “a figure of international scale.”
“Some of our conversations were interesting. They were useful for me,” he remarked.
According to Putin, Chirac was also an “interesting” leader and a “walking encyclopedia” with sharply defined opinions. “I learned much from him… He was warm in communications, and energetic,” he said.
Putin went on to praise Berlusconi for his legacy of improving Russian-Italian relations.
“All of them made a significant contribution in the development of bilateral relations… They were personalities with their own opinion…, seeking to enhance their countries’ sovereignty,” the president added.
Putin has reiterated Russia’s support for the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council. “Israel has been created, but Palestine has essentially not been created. That’s the core of the problem. In addition, Israel continues its so-called illegal settlement activities,” he said, referring to communities in the West Bank and Golan Heights.
He also called Israel the main beneficiary of the turmoil in Syria. “Russia condemns any occupation of Syrian territory... We hope that Israel will eventually withdraw from Syria, but now it is sending additional troops there.”
Questions regarding the slowing down of YouTube in Russia should be addressed to Google, rather than to Russian authorities, as Western sanctions have interfered with equipment deliveries, Putin has said. He added that the video platform should abide by Russian laws and stop furthering the political goals of Western governments.
Putin is “trolling” the West when challenging it to a “technological duel,” Sergey Poletaev, an information analyst and publicist, and co-founder and editor of the Vatfor project, has told RT. The president has suggested that Western experts could choose a target in Kiev, amass their defense systems in one place, and try to repel an attack by Moscow’s new hypersonic Oreshnik missile system.
”I think it was trolling. It is hard for me to imagine that the West would go for this, I think Putin understands this better than anyone else,” the expert said.
He added that Putin appears confident in the capabilities of the Oreshnik system, as “apparently, he knows more about it than we do.” Poletaev noted that so far, the weapon has only been used once, referring to last month’s strike on the Yuzhmash military plant in the Ukrainian city of Dnepr.
”It was more of a demonstration. In order to draw any conclusions, we need to wait for full-fledged combat use,” Poletaev said.
Putin described the crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – which Kiev accuses of having ties to Moscow – as “an unprecedented and blatant violation of human and religious rights.” “They are tearing the church apart while the world watches. It’s like an execution. And the whole world prefers to turn a blind eye.”
He denounced the Ukrainian leadership as people who believe in nothing, have nothing in common with ordinary citizens, and are ready to flee the country at any moment.
Russia could hold talks with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky once he takes part in a presidential election and becomes a “legitimate” leader, Putin has said. Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May, although he refused to allow a vote, citing martial law.
Russia is ready for talks with Kiev “without preconditions,” but based on preliminary results of the Istanbul talks from 2022 and the “realities on the ground,” Putin stated. He added that if Ukraine wants to pursue a path of peaceful settlement, it has to establish a legitimate government. “We can sign [documents] only with [the authorities] that are legitimate,” the Russian leader said.
Russia-China relations are playing a key role in stabilizing international relations, Putin has said, remarking that Moscow and Beijing are coordinating efforts on the global stage. He added that he considered his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping his “friend.”
Commenting on Russia’s campaign to improve its demographics, Putin described it as a crucial challenge defining the country’s future. He said that Russia is pursuing several large-scale programs, including offering more financial benefits such as maternity capital and subsidies for pregnant women.
The BRICS economic group is not a tool created for a standoff with the West, Putin has stressed. “We are not working against anybody. We are working for the sake of our interests and those of the group’s members.”
Russia is “always ready for talks and compromises,” including over Ukraine, Putin has said, stressing that it was Kiev that refused any engagement. He also recalled that Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a peace deal during the Istanbul talks in the spring of 2022, but that they were derailed by interference from then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who told Kiev “to fight until the last Ukrainian.”
“And that’s what they are doing. They’ll soon run out of those Ukrainians who are willing to fight,” he remarked.
Putin referred to the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov, who commanded the Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Moscow has blamed Kiev for the killing. Calling it a “terrorist act,” he chided the Western press for failing to ever condemn such attacks. “But I’m grateful to you for at least bringing it up,” he told an NBC reporter.
Putin acknowledged that Syria is facing a “complicated situation,” adding that Russia maintains contact with all local factions and regional partners.
He stressed that the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria depends on relations with the country’s new leadership. “Our interests must align. If we stay there, then we must do something which is in the interests of the hosting country,” the president said, adding that Russia proposed to its partners using Khmeimim Airbase in Latakia for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria.
While answering a question from an NBC reporter, Putin drew attention to the fact that Moscow still allows Western journalists to freely work in the country, despite an ongoing crackdown on the Russian press in some Western nations.
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.”
Putin has said he personally made the decision about the production of the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile, which was used to strike a defense industrial complex in Ukraine in retaliation for Kiev’s strikes deep into Russia using foreign-made long-range weapons.
Asked by a resident of Kursk Region when Russia would push the Ukrainian troops back across the border, Putin would not give an exact date, but promised that this was inevitable. “We have plans, I get regular reports about them… Our boys are fighting right now, as we speak. And the fighting is serious.”
Putin has displayed a replica of the banner of Russia's 155th Marine Brigade, which he said was given to him by members of that unit currently serving on the front lines in Kursk Region, which has become the target of a large-scale Ukrainian incursion. The flag was inscribed with hand-written messages and signatures of the Marines.
Thanking the Marines for the gift, Putin said that the banner embodies all the flags of all the units currently defending Russia's interests.
The overall situation in Russia’s economy is “stable and robust,” Putin has summed up, stressing that this largely stems from the country’s sovereignty.
Putin has acknowledged that the inflation rate remains one of the key concerns for the Russian economy, reaching around 9.3%. He added, however, that the level of real salaries had increased by 9%.
Russia’s unemployment rate is estimated at 2.3%, which is an all-time low, Putin has said, adding that several industries are showing robust growth.
The measure of Russia’s successes, including its performance on the battlefield, is primarily determined by the state of the economy, Putin has said. The president noted that foreign attempts to undermine Russia’s economy are failing, with projected GDP growth estimated at around 4% of GDP this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has walked onto the stage.
Russia should have working relations with all journalists, including those from the West, even if they come from ‘unfriendly’ countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, ahead of the Q&A session with President Vladimir Putin. “And the most important thing: we must use every opportunity to convey our view, our truth, the truth of our president, to the world,” he added.
Vladimir Putin’s annual Q&A event has consistently drawn widespread attention, with over 500 journalists accredited at the first press conference in 2001.
By 2019, this number soared to a record 1,895. The event has attracted journalists from across Russia, as well as foreign correspondents, with many traveling to the country specifically to participate.
RT’s Saskia Taylor reports live from where President Putin’s year-end Q&A is taking place.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has started his annual Q&A session. As of the morning of December 19, over two million questions have already been submitted, reflecting continued public engagement with this event.
One of the longest ‘Direct Line’ sessions occurred in 2013, when Putin answered questions for four hours and 47 minutes. Meanwhile, the record for the longest press conference was set in 2008, lasting four hours and 40 minutes. During this session, journalists posed 106 questions to the president, covering a wide range of topics.