Putin: Russia condemns all forms of Israeli occupation

Russian President Vladimir Putin made statements during his traditional annual press conference. In the 4.5-hour meeting, Putin answered 76 questions. Highlighting the development of the Russian economy, Putin said, “Everything in the economy is fundamental. The situation is progressing in a stable and sustainable manner.

Despite all threats, economic growth has been approximately 8 percent over two years. It is 5-6 percent in the US and 1 percent in the eurozone. Our economic growth is a result of the strengthening of our large-scale sovereignty. There are other gratifying indicators as well. First, one of the serious indicators for all countries of the world and all economies is the unemployment rate.

This rate is at a record low of 2-3 percent. This had never happened before. Last year we surpassed Germany, and this year we surpassed Japan. But as you can see, this is not an indicator that we should fall asleep and calm down. Of course not. Everything is progressing actively. Even if the eurozone is asleep, there are other centers of world development, and they are moving forward,” he said.

"KURSK WILL BE CLEARED OF UKRAINIANS"

Responding to a question from a local resident about the situation in the Kursk Region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian troops in the ongoing war with Ukraine, asking “When will Kursk be cleared,” Putin said, “I cannot say anything about when the Kursk Region will be cleared. The clearing is currently underway. There was no point in the attack on the Kursk Region, but Ukrainian soldiers attacked here. I can say for sure that Kursk will be cleared of Ukrainians. Reports are constantly being relayed to me by our soldiers. If I say we will take it in 1 week, our soldiers will put themselves at risk. That is why it is difficult to give a date. After Kursk is cleared again, schools, kindergartens, houses, infrastructure, and public buildings will be rebuilt. After the clearing, housing certificates will be given to everyone. Housing support will be provided to them. I can assure you that all your losses will be compensated,” he said.

Putin also added that the salary differences between soldiers fighting in Kursk and those fighting in Ukraine will be eliminated. Pointing out that the Ukrainian army is using weapons allocated by Western countries in the Kursk Region, Putin said, “The NATO and Western weapons destroyed in the Kursk Region are more than the weapons hit in the special military operation zone in Ukraine last year.”

"OUR EXPERTS ARE READY FOR SUCH A DUEL"

Upon a journalist reminding him of reports that Western countries underestimate Russia's Oreshnik missiles, Putin invited Western countries and Ukraine to a duel, stating, “Oreshnik is, first of all, a new weapon. Work done in every sector is, of course, built upon the previous weapon. Our engineers, of course, worked on new types of weapons by working on Soviet-era weapons. This is a modern weapon. Oreshnik is a medium-range weapon. Medium-range weapons have a range of 1,000, 1,500, 3,000, up to 5,500. Therefore, they have no chance of shooting down these missiles. Let the West and Ukraine pile all their air defense systems in a region in Kyiv. Let us carry out a bombardment there with Oreshnik, and let them try to intercept it. Let's see what happens. They have no chance of shooting down or destroying Oreshnik. Our experts are ready for such a duel,” he expressed.

"I HAVE NOT MET WITH ASSAD YET"

When asked by a US journalist whether he could meet with Syria's ousted leader Assad to get information about a US journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago, Putin said, “To be honest, I have not met with Assad yet. But I will do so soon. I will certainly ask about this as well. 12 years ago, there was an active war in Syria. We do not know whether Assad has information about this journalist or not. However, I promise that I will ask. I can also ask the people who control the situation in Syria,” he said.

Answering a question about whether he had a meeting with Donald Trump after he was re-elected president in the US, Putin stated that he did not know when he would meet with Trump and that he had not spoken to him for over 4 years. Putin also conveyed that he is always ready to talk to Trump.

"THERE IS NO DEFEAT FOR RUSSIA IN SYRIA"

Arguing that Russia did not suffer a loss in Syria after the overthrow of the Assad regime, Putin said, “You want to portray what happened in Syria as if it were Russia's defeat. I assure you it is not as you think. When we came to Syria, we came so that a terrorist state would not be established there. We actually achieved our goal. There were internal changes even in the groups carrying out armed activities against the government forces in Syria. It is not for nothing that many European countries and the US want to establish relations with them today. If these are terrorist organizations, why are you getting involved in this? It means they have changed. We have a dialogue with all forces,” he said.

"WE ARE MAINTAINING TALKS"

Touching on the future of Russian bases in Syria after the Assad regime, Putin said, “We are in dialogue with the groups there. Many of them are in favor of our bases remaining there. We will evaluate this. If we are present there, we must also act according to the interests of that country. The use of the Hmeimim Air Base and the naval base in Latakia for humanitarian aid purposes is also on our agenda,” he said.

"350 THOUSAND PEOPLE ADVANCED TO ALEPPO"

Adding that Russian soldiers were not on the defense line in Aleppo and other cities during the advance of the opposition, Putin said, “We did not keep our armed forces at our land base (Hmeimim). There were Iranian armed forces in that region. 30 thousand people were defending Aleppo. However, they (opposition armed forces) advanced to Aleppo with 350 thousand people. They (Assad regime soldiers and Iranian armed groups) also left their positions and withdrew. They withdrew from other cities without even entering into conflict. Iran later asked us for support for the evacuation of the fighters. We transported 4 thousand Iranian fighters to Tehran. Many of them also withdrew to Lebanon,” he said.

"UKRAINE CARRIED OUT A TERRORIST ATTACK"

Speaking about Igor Kirillov, Commander of the Russian Armed Forces' Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops (NBC), who was killed in an assassination in Moscow, the capital of Russia, Putin held the Ukrainian side responsible for the assassination, saying, “Ukraine has previously carried out terrorist attacks against civilians, journalists, and many people. This is a murder committed in a way that endangers the lives of many people. The Kyiv regime has committed such crimes many times. Not a single condemnation has come from the West regarding such attacks,” he said.

"ZELENSKYY IS NOT A LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT"

Stating that they could restart negotiations with the Kyiv side in the ongoing war with Ukraine, Putin pointed out that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's legal term of office ended last May. Putin said, “We are ready to negotiate with Ukraine on the foundations we agreed upon in March 2022. These theses were determined by the Russian side. If Zelenskyy wins the elections, we will sit down for negotiations. However, Zelenskyy is not a legitimate president right now. We sign all our agreements with a legal president or make legal agreements with the Ukrainian parliament. If there is a change in Ukrainian domestic law and Zelenskyy continues his presidency legally, then we can sit at the negotiating table with him,” he expressed.

"WE CONDEMN ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION"

Expressing that they condemn Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon on every platform diplomatically, Putin emphasized that they also condemn the Israeli army's advance on Syrian territory by taking advantage of the situation, saying, “The main winner in Syria is Israel. You can evaluate Israel's actions however you wish. Russia condemns all forms of Israeli occupation. It has advanced more than 25 kilometers from the border in the Golan Heights. Even the borders established during the Soviet era were occupied by Israel. They are currently pulling additional forces there. They have also dispatched a few thousand of their soldiers. It is as if they are going there not to withdraw but to take root. If all this results in the disintegration of Syria, this is a problem that must be solved by the Syrian people,” he said.

"HUMAN EMOTIONS PREVAILED"

Answering a question from a journalist regarding US President Joe Biden issuing a pardon for his son Hunter Biden, Putin said, “In some matters, you need to remain silent. It is such a sensitive issue that there are other examples in Russian history. For example, in Russian history, Ivan the Terrible killed his own son. Peter the Great also executed his own son. Stalin had refused to save his own son from the Nazi front. He did this even though it was his own son. At that time, even being captured was considered treason. You know, the Nazis executed Stalin's son. As for Biden, Biden is a politician. It is important whether politics or human emotions weigh heavier for you. It means Biden's human emotions weighed heavier,” he said.

"I NEVER LAUGH"

Answering a question from a journalist about whether he has changed in 3 years, Putin responded to the question sincerely, saying, “Life is constantly changing, everyone is changing. We have gone through a serious test for 2 and a half, 3 years. I can honestly say that I have started to joke less, and I have almost never laughed for these 2 and a half years. There is one more change; I have strengthened my ability to focus on solving issues even more,” he said.

When asked if he would give the order to attack Ukraine again if he went back to 3 years ago, Putin said, “2 and a half years ago, I would have thought that this decision should have been taken earlier. We should have prepared earlier according to this. The Crimea decision and the 2022 decision also developed spontaneously. There was no time to wait for them to attack you. When we realized that we were deceived in the Minsk agreements, they decided to destroy everything with Russia. In response, we were forced to take this decision,” he said.

"UKRAINE NEEDS PEACE, NOT A CEASEFIRE"

Stating that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conveyed a ceasefire proposal in Ukraine for next year, Putin said, “Previously, Erdoğan conveyed a ceasefire request for holidays and new years. I accepted. A day later, Erdoğan conveyed that Zelenskyy rejected this proposal. Viktor Orban also conveyed a ceasefire proposal for the new year. We do not need a ceasefire, but a long-term, solid peace that provides guarantees for Russia and its citizens,” he said.

Stating that Ukraine rejected a new agreement regarding pipelines for the shipment of Russian gas to Europe, Putin said, “Ukraine refused to extend the transit agreement. We are not the side that refused. Although it receives 700-800 million dollars a year from the agreement, Ukraine refuses to extend it. This agreement will no longer exist, this is completely clear. But we will overcome it. Gazprom will overcome it,” he expressed.

News Source: İHA