His annual press conference lasted a total of four hours and something, but by general admission, apart from the various communication tricks of the president for the media and the internal audience, there were no particular surprises in terms of its content.
One of the same from Putin
The president of Russia once again appeared to repeat the standing positions of his government on all issues, both for and for relations with. During his interview, Putin maintained that Russia’s basic positions remain unchanged and, he said, have been known for over a year.
As he said, Russia seeks an end to the conflict, but only on the basis of the principles it has already presented, which it described as necessary to address the root causes of the war. For its part, Ukraine considers these positions excessive and humiliating, as they entail significant concessions. He, however, appeared to defend the Russian position, showing a map showing not only Crimea, but also the four Ukrainian regions that Russia will annex from 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
He blames Ukraine for the war
According to his own account, the initiative of the movements is now on the side of “the so-called Western opponents, the leadership of Kiev and the European countries that support it.” In the same context, he argued that the Ukrainian side is the one that rejects a peaceful settlement of the conflict, although he acknowledged that he sees some signs of willingness for dialogue.
The Russian president also insisted that Moscow was not responsible for the casualties, arguing that it was not Russia that started the war, blaming the Ukrainian authorities.
Finally, he reiterated the familiar Russian position on NATO, arguing that its expansion into the East violated assurances given in the past. He also assured that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe as long as it is treated with respect, stressing that Moscow remains open to cooperation with the West, under conditions of parity.
Hard “flirting” to Trump
Putin once again spoke positively of Donald Trump, noting that he is making, as he said, serious and sincere efforts to end the war. He even referred to their August meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, saying that Russia made some – without specifying – compromises, which Trump accepted. He also expressed his support for the former US president’s legal action against the BBC.
He also noted that the text of the American strategy does not name Russia as the main threat – wanting to send a message to NATO and Europe – while he argued that Russian forces continue to advance on the entire front in Ukraine, a claim that Kiev disputes.
