Afrasianet - President Vladimir Putin presented the economic results of 2024 in his annual press conference, and answered questions about the local and global situations, especially in Ukraine, Syria and the tense relationship with the West.
Economy
• When the situation is stable, we feel bored, there is a desire to move, and when we start to move, we hear the whistle of shots and bullets, which indicates danger. Everything is driven by the economy. Let's start traditionally from the economy. The economy is the basis of everything, and it is linked to it defense capabilities and the standard of living.
• The economy in Russia is stable despite external threats and attempts to influence us.
• Our growth was 3.6% last year, and this year it is 3.9%, and it may reach 4%.
• In two years we expect economic growth of 8%, while in the United States it is 5%, and in Europe it is 1%.
• If Europe has fallen asleep in a long sleep, then we must maintain the growth rate, and there are other criteria that can indicate the current situation that is acceptable for us. We are at the lowest unemployment level in the country, there is growth in industries like 4%, growth in manufacturing industries is 8%, and even higher in some types of industries. The worrying sign, of course, is inflation.
• Our unemployment rate is 2.3% Russian army and military operation in Ukraine
• The Russian Armed Forces are reclaiming territory from Ukrainian troops in square kilometers, not meters.
• Russian servicemen are expelling the enemy from our territory in Kursk
• All facilities, housing and infrastructure in Kursk region will be reconstructed
• The Oreshnik missile is a very modern and advanced weapon that is based on previous developments, but it is a step forward. The missile is being modernized by Russian engineers, scientists and designers.
• There are 24 missile defense systems in combat service in Romania and Poland, in Romania their range of destruction is 300 kilometers, their altitude is 80-250 kilometers, in Poland there are slightly better weapons, their interception range is 1000 kilometers and their altitude is 500 kilometers.
• There are no such systems in the world, it takes time, and we are able to disperse warheads in seconds. There is no chance of shooting down the Oreshnik missile. Let's set a point for a strike in Kiev or somewhere else, let them concentrate all their missile defenses there and see what happens. Let's take into account that they have missile defenses, the talk is at the level of experts and scientists. Let's agree to conduct such a test and see what happens in Kiev. It will be useful for us and for the Americans.
• Any threats to Belarus are threats to Russia itself, and we will do everything we can to protect Belarus together with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin talks about the situation in Syria and the circumstances of the collapse of the Syrian army and the fall of Assad
• I did not meet with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after he came to Moscow.
• I can talk to Bashar al-Assad about the journalist Austin Tice who has been missing in Syria for 12 years. We can also ask the question to those in power in Syria today.
• What is happening in Syria does not represent a "defeat" for Russia. We were seeking not to form a hotbed of terrorism like Afghanistan, and we have achieved our goals in some way. The groups that fought the Syrian Arab Army have changed. If Western countries are seeking dialogue with these groups today, it means that there have already been changes in these groups.
• When the armed opposition groups entered Aleppo, there were 30,000 fighters. There were some battles around Aleppo, but before our Iranian friends were asking for help in Syria, now they are asking for help to get them out of Syria.
• Putin: The vast majority of Middle Eastern countries support the continuation of Russian military bases in Syria • Putin: Russia evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters to Tehran via the Hmeimim base
• We are counting on peace and calm to prevail in Syria, and we are building our relations with all groups that control power there, and with the countries of the region. We will consider keeping our bases in Syria, and we will decide whether to build relations with the political forces that control or will control the reins of power in Syria. This requires both parties to search for common ground.
• We have suggested to our partners, including those present on Syrian territory, to use the international base in Hmeimim to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria.
• This matter is also related to the base in Tartus. Putin talks about the intentions of Israel and Turkey and the situation in the Middle East
• We are in constant contact with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and we discussed the situation in the Middle East and the position of the Turkish president, and our position is known and does not depend on changing political circumstances.
• We always believe that the Palestinian issue can only be resolved by removing its root causes, by establishing two states. The State of Israel was established, and the State of Palestine has not yet been established.
• Regarding the Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, we have condemned this at all levels and platforms, including the United Nations.
• Turkey is doing everything in its power to ensure the security of its southern border and to ensure the return of refugees to Syria, and perhaps to remove Kurdish groups from the border. All of this may be possible and can be implemented.
• The main beneficiary of the developments in Syria is Israel.
• Russia condemns any occupation of Syrian territory by Israel, and our position on this matter does not change.
• Israel has advanced 25 kilometers and entered the fortifications that the former Soviet Union had established in Syria.
• We hope that Israel will withdraw from the areas it has occupied, but we see that it is sending more forces, and it does not seem that it has any intention of withdrawing, but rather of expanding its penetration, and annexing some of the territories to Israel, and this complicates the situation even more.
• The UN Charter must be implemented regarding self-determination and territorial integrity. Some European officials have said before that they promised the Kurds an independent state and they were deceived. This is a very complicated issue. The Kurds are persistent fighters. The Kurdish issue must be resolved within the framework of the new changes. Turkey must resolve its security issues. All these issues are not up for discussion in this meeting. However, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, taking into account the current authority in Syria. We are in contact with all groups that control the situation in Syria at the moment.
Ways to resolve the Ukrainian issue
• Politics is the art of compromise, and we are always ready for negotiations and compromises. But the opponent (Ukraine) is the one who refuses negotiations. The results of the negotiations must be compromises, and such solutions were reached in Istanbul in early 2022, and the initial document was ratified. But after the arrival of Prime Minister Boris Johnson (with the distinctive hairstyle), these solutions were abandoned. We are ready for negotiations and compromises.
• Russia will talk to Zelensky if he decides to run for elections and gains legitimacy
• Putin: We are ready to sign a peace agreement with any legitimate authority, but the current authority, including Volodymyr Zelensky, has lost its legitimacy.
• The initiatives of China, Brazil and South Africa interest us because they are real attempts to search for real and balanced solutions that do not bind any party, whether Ukrainian or Russian, and come from neutral countries that did not intervene in the crisis as is the case with Western countries. It is about what is happening on the ground, military equipment and personnel in the Ukrainian armed forces are being eliminated. Our army is advancing, the enemy cannot concentrate in the areas to which it retreats, so it retreats in an orderly manner, but it is unable to establish itself in new positions. Freezing the conflict means giving the enemy the opportunity to prepare by recruiting, by taking recruits to training sites as cannon fodder without training them. This is not the Soviet school, nor even the Western school.
• The Ukrainian regime and its sponsors themselves do not know the art of war, so the lull period will allow the enemy to strengthen their human capabilities. The units are there, but there is a significant shortage of human capabilities. We do not need a ceasefire, but a lasting and just peace that guarantees security for the Russian state and people.
• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made an offer for a ceasefire on the occasion of Christmas. The enemy will not be able to do anything during those days. We have agreed to such initiatives three times, both for transportation in the Black Sea and for energy facilities, and President Erdogan was the mediator. After I agreed, I was informed that the Ukrainian president himself did not agree, and after Mr. Orban's proposal, and another proposal for a prisoner exchange, we received the response: There will be no truce, and no prisoner exchange.
BRICS and the relationship with China
• BRICS is not a tool against the West. We do not work against anyone in the world, but for the benefit of the countries participating in the group.
• This group is developing rapidly, and a large number of countries have joined it, and it has expanded, and we have spoken more than once about this topic. There is great interest in this group because it is built on respect for mutual interests, and there are no small, developed or developing countries, there is a common interest among the countries of the group in striving to achieve economic growth and various structures so that this group can be a pioneer in moving forward.
• Next year we will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with China. In the last ten years, relations have reached an unprecedented historical level. The relations are based on mutual trust, and everything we do expresses the complete mutual trust between the policies of the two countries, and we work for the benefit of the two peoples. • We are talking about $240 billion in annual trade exchange, and we have 600 joint investment projects worth $200 billion.
• There are many events such as the "Year of Youth" and the "Year of Culture", one of the most important aspects is regional cooperation where the heads of federal entities cooperate directly with their counterparts in China.
• We conduct student exchanges at universities, and Russia and China suffered more than anyone else in World War II. Historians say that there were 27 million victims in World War II, and we supported each other during the war. One of the most important tools for achieving global stability was and remains the United Nations, and we and China are among the founders of the organization. Migrants and naturalization in Russia
• We are interested in citizens who feel part of Russia, in terms of culture and language, and are considered competent. We are interested in them, and we have a wide program for naturalizing competent people, and the program must be improved. Blocking YouTube
• The issue of "blocking" YouTube is more about the site than about us. When Google established a branch here, after Western companies began to leave Russia and its sanctions began, Google stopped providing equipment and servicing its branches here, which caused technical problems for it. Google must also abide by local law, and Google must not abuse its authority by deleting or blocking opinions, or promoting other opinions and trends. Burial of Lenin
• The issue of "Burial of Lenin" is a very sensitive issue, and I think it should be thought of in a different context. Society may reach a solution to this matter. Today in Russia, no action should be taken that could divide society. Putin comments on Biden's pardon of his son
• Putin: Biden's humanity prevailed over politics, and I do not blame him for the decision to pardon his son
• We know what happened between Ivan the Terrible and his son, this may be a myth, as well as what happened with Peter the Great's son Alexei, or with Stalin. What happened with Stalin was not a myth. He refused to replace his son with a general. He said that soldiers are not replaced with officers. At that time, if someone surrendered to captivity, this was treason. At that time, the tools of fighting and struggle for victory were harsh.
• When we look at all these things, Stalin did not have the ability to save his son. It is known that his son was killed, but as for Biden's son, he should be viewed as a human being more than a politician. I do not want to judge him.
What has changed in Putin's personality since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine?
• I joke less, and almost do not laugh.
• There is another aspect, I have started working on improving the possibilities to search for the essential issues in the possibility of attracting attention and highlighting the most important things.
• In response to what he would have done if he could go back in time to 2022, the president said: This is a theoretical question, if it was possible to go back in time.. What happened in 2021, and 2022, and I know what is happening now, I would think about making the decision I made before that time. We should have prepared for the special military operation and what happened in Crimea was spontaneous. We started what happened in 2022 without preparation, we did not want things to get worse. The regime in Kiev was demanding weapons of mass destruction, and lied to us about the Minsk agreements, and we saw how they began to impose their military control over this region and destroy everything related to Russia. We did not have the luxury of choosing or waiting. If I had known what would happen, I would have prepared more for the special military operation.
• BBC question: Yeltsin retired 25 years ago. After 25 years, have you preserved Russia? Because on the one hand we see the special military operation, but we see the attack on the Kursk region. NATO has actually expanded, but inflation and so on, have you preserved your state?
• Putin: I not only preserved my state, but I saved it from the brink of the abyss. What was happening with Russia before and after that would have led to the complete loss of our sovereignty. Russia cannot remain without sovereignty. And what I promised President Yeltsin, I kept. They supported President Yeltsin and offered him a glass of vodka, and when he announced his desire to protect Yugoslavia, and that what was happening was against the UN Charter, and that it was not permissible to strike Belgrade, they immediately began to call him an "addict" and so on. I did everything I could to make Russia an independent and sovereign state that takes into account its supreme national interests. What is Russia for Putin:
• Russia is not only a huge area, but also history, culture, customs and traditions, all of this together is Russia. But the most important thing is people, the Russian people. Sometimes I watch TV (which is rare), and I see the successes of our compatriots, the championship and victory in world swimming, for example, young men and women, boys and girls who achieve success in sports and scientific Olympiads. I look at all this with such pleasure and happiness, as if someone from my small family were receiving these awards.
• I see Russia as my family. In this regard, we are talking before the beginning of Christmas and New Year, and colleagues of different religions say that they also celebrate Christmas, just like our neighbors celebrate Eid al-Adha. When I meet with representatives of religious communities, I usually ask them: what are you talking about? I do not talk about religious matters. New Year is a family holiday, I wish everyone success and good luck.