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President Vladimir Putin called that his military operation Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had damaged Moscow’s prestige as he held his annual press conference and call-in show on Thursday.
He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted more than four hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware.
He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has strengthened Russia’s military and economic power.
“Russia has become much stronger in the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country,” he said. “We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defense potential and our military capacity is now the strongest in the world.”
Putin, who has been in power for nearly a quarter of a century and was re-elected in February for another six-year term, said the military was “making progress towards achieving our goals” in what he called the special military operation in Ukraine .
Responding to a question about a new hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia first used to strike Ukraine last month, Putin scoffed at claims by some Western experts that it could be intercepted by NATO air defenses.
He mockingly challenged Ukraine’s allies to a “high-tech duel”, suggesting Moscow could give advance notice of a strike on Kiev with the Oreshnik missile and see if the West could protect the city.
“Let them select a target, possibly in Kiev, put their air defense capabilities there and we’ll hit it with the Oreshnik,” he said with a dry smile. “Let’s see what happens.”
Russia is making steady, if slow, progress in Ukraine, but has also suffered embarrassing setbacks. Tuesday was Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov killed by a bomb planted outside his apartment building in Moscow – a brutal killing claimed by Ukraine that brought the conflict back to the streets of the Russian capital.
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Putin described the killing of Kirillov as a “big blunder” by Russian security agencies, noting that they should learn from it and improve their efficiency.
Moscow’s forces are also fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, where they have launched an incursion. Asked when they would evict the Ukrainians, Putin said “we will certainly kick them out” but would not say how long it would take.
The show, which is broadcast live by state-controlled TV in Russia’s 11 time zones, is usually dominated by domestic issues, with journalists and ordinary people calling in to ask about rising consumer prices and mortgages, poor pensions and shortages doctors But the Russian leader is mainly seen for his answers about foreign affairs.
In a flourish typical of marathon press conferences, he asked members of the public to unfurl a banner presented to him by marines fighting in Kursk when he spoke about Ukraine.
Putin said he was open to possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to negotiate a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“When we meet with Mr. Trump, we will have things to discuss,” he said, without elaborating.
Putin said Russia is open to compromise in possible peace talks on Ukraine.
“Politics is the art of compromise,” he said. “We have always said that we are ready for both talks and compromises.” At the same time, Putin added that the talks should be based on “the situation on the ground” referring to some of the conditions he explained earlier.
Putin has previously demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and recognize Russia’s gains. Kiev and the West rejected those demands.
In his first comments on Assad’s downfall, Putin said he had not yet met the former Syrian ruler, whom he has granted asylum in Moscow, but plans to. He said, will ask him about Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago.
“We can also put the question to people who are monitoring the situation on the ground in Syria,” Putin said, in response to a question from NBC’s Keir Simmons, who cited a letter he said Tice’s mother wrote to the Russian leader to seek help.
Moscow has tried to establish contacts with the rebels who ousted Assad to secure its diplomatic and military personnel in the country and to try to extend the lease on its air and naval bases in the country.
But it is unclear how much influence Russia will have in Syria. Assad’s fall has dealt it a painful blow as Russia has fought for nine years to support him in the country’s civil war.
However, Putin denied that the events had weakened Moscow, arguing that it had achieved the goal of destroying “terrorist” groups in Syria through an air campaign launched in support of Assad in 2015. He claimed that rebel groups fighting against Assad are changed and the West is now ready to establish ties with them.
“That means our goals have been achieved,” Putin said.
He described Israel as the “main beneficiary” of Assad’s downfall, noting the deployment of Israeli forces in southern Syria. He expressed hope that Israel will eventually withdraw these forces, but noted that it is still building them up.
He said that Moscow will talk to the new authorities in Syria about possible expansion of the presence of Russian bases in the country.
“If we stay there, we will have to do something in the interests of the host country,” he said, adding that Moscow offered to use its Hemeimeen air base and a naval base in Tartus for deliveries of humanitarian aid. “What those interests may be, what we can do for them is an issue that needs to be thoroughly investigated by both parties.”
He noted that the Syrian army offered little resistance to the opposition offensive and said that Russia flew 4,000 Iranian troops from its Hemeimeem air base to Tehran.
Putin began the session by saying that Russia’s economy is on track to grow by nearly 4 percent this year. He acknowledged that consumer prices are high, with inflation at 9.3 percent, but insisted that the economic situation remains “stable.”
Putin dodged a question about abortion and pornography in Russia, and also buried the body of Soviet Union founder Vladmir Lenin, who has been on display in a mausoleum on Red Square for almost a century.
The annual show is as much spectacle as news conference. Journalists in the hall at the Kremlin wave colorful signs and placards to attract Putin’s attention.
Russian state media reported that ordinary citizens submitted more than 2 million questions ahead of the show.
