Russia Putin hints at willingness to compromise in Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed his willingness to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. He was also prepared to make concessions, Putin said at his four-and-a-half-hour annual press conference in response to a question from US broadcaster NBC. "Politics is the art of compromise." He did not give any details on possible compromises. At the very least, he backed away from preconditions for talks.
19.12.2024, 18:30
SDA
At a meeting with the diplomatic corps in the summer, the Kremlin chief had made the cession of the four Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia after the outbreak of war in 2022 - Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia - one of the preconditions for the start of talks. This time he said: "We have no conditions for negotiations with Ukraine".
Russia maintains claims to Ukrainian territory
However, this does not mean that Russia is renouncing its claims. Talks should be based on the reality on the ground, i.e. the Russian conquests in Ukraine, said Putin. Russia has taken control of large territories in all four areas.
Putin also called for the Istanbul agreement to be used as the basis for a peace treaty. In Istanbul, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion, both warring parties negotiated conditions for its end. Ukraine was to renounce NATO membership and reduce the size of its armed forces. However, contrary to what the Kremlin leader presented, it was not a finished paper and was unacceptable to Ukraine.
Putin appeared confident of victory during the question and answer session, which was also attended by citizens from various regions of the country, mostly on social problems. The economy is booming despite the Western sanctions and Russian troops are advancing along the entire front, said the 72-year-old. In terms of weapons, Russia is superior to Ukraine despite Western aid.
Challenge to a duel with Oreshnik
Western air defense systems are helpless against the new Russian medium-range missile Oreschnik, he claimed. If the West doubted the missile's capabilities, it could name a target in Kiev protected by all available anti-aircraft weapons to be fired at by Oreshnik.
Putin spoke of an "experiment, a high-tech duel of the 21st century". The West could station all the anti-aircraft weapons and missile shields it had there. It would then become clear whether they could stop the medium-range missile. Russia is ready for such an experiment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who appeared at a press conference in Brussels shortly after Putin's TV marathon, sharply criticized the challenge to a missile duel in Kiev. "Do you think this person is still adequate? Simply felons," he said.
Putin wants to demonstrate strength
For Putin, it was primarily about demonstrating strength to his own citizens, but also to the international press. He deliberately played down problems: inflation is high, he admitted. But Russia would get it under control. Economic experts see the danger of a massive slump in growth if prices continue to rise, a so-called stagflation in Russia.
When asked by a resident of the Kursk region when the people there would be able to return home, Putin, at a loss for a concrete answer, simply replied: "Everything will be done." For four months now, Russian troops - who have also been supported by North Korean soldiers for several weeks - have been unable to push back the Ukrainian military decisively. He could not give a date, he said. But the Ukrainians would certainly be driven out again, Putin nevertheless assured.
Putin does not see Assad's fall as his own defeat
Putin also did not want the fall and flight of his protégé Bashar al-Assad from Syria to be seen as a defeat for Russia. "They want to pass off the events in Syria as a defeat for Russia. I assure you, that is not the case," Putin told a Western journalist.
"We went to Syria to prevent the creation of a terrorist enclave there. By and large, we achieved our goal. And the groups that were there have changed," he said.
Putin also said that he saw Israel as the main beneficiary of the situation in Syria. At the same time, he warned against the disintegration of the country in view of the occupation of Syrian territories. He also said that Israel and Turkey were currently dealing with security issues in their own countries in the civil war. Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia by Putin. During the Q&A session, Putin announced a meeting with Assad.
Selenskyj: Partners should not overestimate Putin
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi has called on his Western partners not to overestimate Russia and Kremlin leader Putin. "We see his weaknesses," said Zelenskyi. "He is only strong because he talks about nuclear weapons, because he fires a lot of missiles."
At the same time, Putin has all of his combat-ready troops in Ukraine, where he is only making slow progress. One reason for the Ukrainian summer offensive in the Russian region of Kursk was to expose this, said Selensky. "We wanted to show that his entire army is on our territory and that everything that is left is not strong."
Selensky has also recently expressed his willingness to negotiate. However, Ukraine must be brought into a position of strength in order to achieve a fair result, he demanded of the Western partners.
