Russian economy, sanctions & Ukraine conflict: Key takeaways from Putin's marathon press conference

RT
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:41 UTC

© Sputnik / Gavriil Grigorov

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a major press conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 14, 2023.

Over two million questions were submitted to the head of state for his 'Results of the Year' event.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on key international issues during a marathon Q&A on Thursday. Topics ranged from the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts to Moscow's relations with the US and its allies, as well as the transformation of the global economy amid unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West on Russia.

The president hosted his annual press conference, during which both Russian and foreign journalists, as well as members of the general public, were able to ask him questions directly.

The 'The Results of the Year' event, which was broadcast live on TV, lasted more than four hours. Here are the key takeaways.

Sovereignty & Economic Growth

Putin said Russia's economy had demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of outside pressure over the past year, noting that GDP was expected to grow by 3.5% by the end of 2023. He specifically pointed to industrial production at 3.6% growth, as well as a decrease in external public debt from $46 billion to $32 billion.

Real wages in Russia also continue to grow and real incomes are set to increase 5% by the end of the year amid a historically low unemployment rate of 2.9%, Putin said.

The nation has also reduced its reliance on the US dollar in foreign trade and started to use its national currency, the ruble, more actively, according to the president, who insisted that strengthening Russia's sovereignty in the economic and other fields would remain a priority for Moscow.

"Existence without sovereignty is impossible for Russia," he said.

State of Russian Armed Forces

Putin said as many as 617,000 troops were currently involved in Moscow's military operation in Ukraine and Russia's new regions, and that hundreds of volunteers join the army almost on a daily basis. The president also said that the nation was capable of maintaining its military power without any need to resort to additional mobilization measures.

Out of some 300,000 who entered the ranks during the partial mobilization last autumn, around 244,000 soldiers are still in the combat zone and are "fighting hard." He said 14 of them had been awarded the nation's highest military honor and named Heroes of Russia.

Up to 1,500 people sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry every day, according to Putin.

"The flow of men who want to protect the interests of the motherland with weapons in their hands does not stop."

Ukraine Conflict & Moscow's Goals

The conflict between Moscow and Kiev is essentially a "civil war" instigated by the US and its allies, said the country's leader. Russia spent decades trying to build normal relations with Ukraine "at any cost." He called the latest developments a "great tragedy."

"After the coup d'etat of 2014, it became clear to us that we would no longer be allowed, by force, to build any sort of normal relations with Ukraine," Putin said

. The president added that Washington had publicly admitted to spending $5 billion on the Maidan coup.

Russia's goals in the conflict have not changed, Putin said, explaining that Moscow seeks the "de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine" as well as "neutral status" for the country. Peace will come as soon as these goals are reached, he claimed.

Relations with the West

Moscow cannot trust the US and its allies amid NATO's "uncontrollable desire to creep towards our borders" and Western policies which led to the current conflict in Ukraine.

"So how are we supposed to build relations with them?" Putin asked, referring to the West. The US and its allies are largely "shooting themselves in the foot" by slapping Russia with new sanctions, which he said ended up hurting them more than they did Moscow.

The EU and other US allies have also "largely lost [their] sovereignty." Most Western nations, with the exception of nations like Hungary or Slovakia, repeatedly take decisions that only benefit Washington while hurting those nations themselves, Putin maintained.

"Many European officials act on the surface like General [Charles] de Gaulle, who fought for the interests of France with arms in his hands... but end up de-facto acting like Marshal [Philippe] Petain... who submitted to the occupants and became a collaborator during WWII."

Putin was referring to the leader of the Free French Forces and the general who signed an armistice with Nazi Germany and headed the collaborationist Vichy government during World War II.

'Catastrophe' in Gaza

The events currently unfolding in Gaza are nothing short of a "catastrophe." The president cited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called the Palestinian enclave a "graveyard for children."

"Such an assessment speaks volumes," he said of Guterres' comment.

Putin related that the disaster in Gaza is "nothing like" the Russian military operation against Ukraine. Moscow insists on the recognition of a State of Palestine along UN-endorsed lines, and "a fundamental basis for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement should be established."

He also pointed to the fact that some nations were blocking UN Security Council decisions regarding the situation in Gaza, thus essentially hindering its core function.

"This is the way it has always worked, especially during the Cold War," he said, and warned that the UN would lose its clout if "no decisions are made." The US has vetoed several resolutions aimed at a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

Fate of US Nationals Jailed in Russia

Moscow is willing to exchange US nationals Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but wants such deals to be "mutually acceptable." Whelan was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison for espionage, while Gershkovich is still awaiting trial on similar charges.

"We have not refused sending [them] back [to the US] and we do not refuse to do so. We just want to reach an agreement," according to the president. He stated that such a deal should be palatable to both sides, not just Washington.

Russia is still in contact with the US on the issue, and the "the dialogue continues." Although the talks are "not easy," the two sides are "speaking the language they both understand," according to the Russian leader. Putin called on Washington to "hear Moscow" on the issue, adding that "humanitarian reasons" should be at the core of any deal.

Comment:

Putin speaks: the Russian president's most important annual event

© Sputnik / Sergey Guneev

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds the ‘Results of the Year’ event.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting a marathon press conference on live TV, during which both journalists and the general public can put questions to the head of state.

The two-in-one event, called 'Results of the Year', combines Putin's annual press conference and his Q&A session with the people, which are usually held separately. Russian and foreign journalists, including those from Western countries, have been accredited for the press conference. According to Rossiya 1 channel, which will be broadcasting the event, more than 2 million questions have been submitted for the president, with more texts and calls coming in.

• 14 December 2023
• 13:54 GMT The final question to Putin was what he would have warned or advised himself in the year 2000, if he had the chance to go back in time. The president said he would have warned himself against "excessive naivety and credulity in relations with our so-called partners," apparently referring to the West. Concerning the advice he would have given himself, Putin said: "One must believe in the great Russian people. This faith is the key to the success of Russia's revival and development."
• 13:25 GMT Putin revealed that he had visited the capital of Russia's new Lugansk Region, but did it in a "stealthy" manner. "I've driven around Lugansk and looked around," he said. The city is "modest, but clean and tidy," which says a lot about the people who live there, the president stressed, adding that he was planning to go there again in the future.
• 13:04 GMT Putin also shared his opinion on the development of artificial intelligence, saying that "it can't be stopped. Therefore, we must take charge of it.""Nobody knows how its going to turn out. We can talk about restrictions and self-limitations, reach agreements between the leaders of various countries so that it won't endanger humanity," he said. However, the Russian leader insisted that AI "won't be able to replace humans."
• 12:53 GMT Putin has been asked a question by a computer-generated lookalike, apparently made with the use of deep-fake technology. The person behind the stunt identified himself as a student at St. Petersburg State University, who wanted to know if claims that the Russian leader uses body doubles are true. Putin appreciated the joke, but insisted that what he saw on screen was "his first double."

• 12:31 GMT Argentina risks social instability if the country's newly-elected President Javier Milei fulfills his plans of ditching the peso for the US dollar, Putin noted."If there is no national currency, you can't print anything, there is only one way - reducing budget spending for the social sphere, a severe cutting of wages, pensions, expenses on medicine, on roads and domestic security," he explained. The president added that the idea of adopting the dollar would also lead to a "significant loss of the country's sovereignty."
• 12:15 GMT Relations between Moscow and Beijing have recently reached an "unprecedented level," Putin said, adding that such cooperation is "one of the essential guarantors of stability in the world." According to the president, the two countries' bilateral trade will grow by 30% this year to between $220 billion and $230 billion.Unlike the West, which is trying to expand NATO's activities to Asia despite this going beyond the alliance's stated goals, Russia and China's "friendship is not being directed against someone else, but serves the benefit of the two countries."

• 11:51 GMT Discussing the "rules-based order" promoted by the US and its allies, Putin claimed that "those rules are non-existent because they change on a daily basis... depending on the interests of some of the stakeholders." There are, however, many countries that do not want to live by "unwritten rules," but rather by the UN Charter and "without establishing military alliances, creating the context for mutual development," the Russian president stressed. This approach will be at the heart of Russia's presidency of the BRICS group next year, Putin added.
• 11:16 GMT There are 617,000 troops involved in Moscow's military operation in Ukraine and Russia's new regions spread along the almost 2,000-km-long frontline, according to Putin. "For now, there's no need" for another wave of mobilization, especially considering that on average, 1,500 people volunteer to defend the country every day, he stressed.Those, who were among the 300,000 mobilized during the first wave in autumn 2022 are "fighting hard"; 14 have been named Heroes of Russia, the president said, referring to the highest honorary title in the country.
• 11:06 GMT Some countries are blocking UN Security Council decisions regarding the escalation in Gaza, Putin said, apparently referring to the US, which has vetoed several resolutions on the issue. The president stressed that the UNSC is set up in such a way that decisions are only made if a consensus between all parties is reached. "It is important to preserve the veto mechanism, otherwise it [the UNSC] will turn into a sort of 'talking shop,'" he argued."Moscow proceeds from the fact that UN decisions regarding the creation of two states in this region - Israel and Palestine - must be implemented," Putin said.
• 10:30 GMT The ongoing events in Gaza are a "catastrophe," Putin said. "Look at [Russia's] military operation in Ukraine and at what's happening in Gaza, and see the difference."The president said there was "no such level of destruction" in Ukraine compared to the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called Gaza "the largest 'graveyard for children,'" Putin noted. "Such a characterization is telling," he added.

• 10:13 GMT "There will be peace [in Ukraine] when we achieve our goals," the Russian leader stated. The goals of the Russian military operation "are not changing. I'll remind you what we were talking about: de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, its neutral status," Putin said.
• 10:04 GMT "Odessa is a Russian city, everyone knows that, but they made up some historical nonsense, and after the collapse of the USSR we came to terms with it," Putin insisted.Odessa is a key port on the Black Sea, not far from Ukraine's border with NATO member Romania. The city was founded in 1794 on the orders of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. It was part of the Russian Empire and the USSR, but has remained under Kiev's control since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
• 09:36 GMT "The West has given Ukraine everything that it promised, and even more," for its counteroffensive, Vladimir Putin said. The Russian military destroyed 747 tanks and some 2,300 armored vehicles as it repelled Kiev's attempts to advance over the past half-year, he stressed.
• 09:24 GMT Preserving and strengthening Russia's sovereignty in all areas should be a priority for the country, President Vladimir Putin said during his Q&A session."Existence without sovereignty is impossible for Russia. It won't exist without it, at least in the form in which it existed for thousands of years. We're talking about strengthening security, public sovereignty, ensuring the rights of citizens, and security in the areas of the economy, technology, and the development of parliamentarism," he added.
• 08:49 GMT The 'Results of the Year' event with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which combines a Q&A with the public and an annual press conference, does not have a time limit. The longest Q&A with the general public lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes in 2008, while his record for a conference with journalists was 4 hours and 47 minutes in 2013.
• 08:47 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin is answering questions from the general public and media, a week after he announced he will be running for another term during the presidential election scheduled for March 2024.Putin is speaking with the public and journalists in a Q&A format after a year-long break. The public Q&A and annual press conference were both canceled in 2022 after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine.