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MOSCOW — There will be no peace in Ukraine until the Kremlin realizes its goals, including the "de-Nazification" and demilitarization of its western neighbor, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday after nearly two years of fighting.
Speaking at a marathon four-hour news conference, Putin appeared buoyant and defiant as he offered rare insights into what Moscow calls its “special military operation.”
Dismissing the need for another mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine, he said 617,000 service members were currently on the ground in Ukraine. It is the first time he or any member of his government has offered a number for how many soldiers the Kremlin has sent into Ukraine.
“There will be peace when we will achieve our goals,” Putin said, including the de-Nazification of Ukraine. Putin and his government falsely claim Ukraine is run by “Nazis” and have used it as a justification for the war.
Putin fielded questions from across Russia’s 11 time zones in a Q&A at the Gostinyy Dvor center in central Moscow, the first time he has done so since invading Ukraine in February 2022. He skipped both events last year.
This year the military featured prominently in his remarks, and there were questions from soldiers phoning in from the front lines and from Russia’s war correspondents.
Putin also called the destruction of Gaza a “catastrophe” and suggested that Russia and China are enjoying an “unprecedented” level of cooperation, with trade reaching more than $200 billion this year. He also said the Russian economy was strong despite Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin said that Russia was looking to negotiate with the U.S. about detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a businessman and former Marine imprisoned in Russia on suspicion of spying. Contacts have been made to discuss securing their freedom, he said.
His comments came shortly after Gershkovich’s pretrial detention on espionage charges was extended until Jan. 30 by a Russian court, according to the state news agency Tass.
There were also some lighter moments. At one point, Putin was asked by a student from St. Petersburg about his concerns over artificial intelligence and if he had any body doubles.
Putin would tell his younger self to stay the course and be less gullible
The last question addressed to Vladimir Putin was about advice to his younger self before his early days in politics and what he would caution himself about, if he had a chance.
“I would have said, ‘You are on the right path, comrade,’” he said. “And I would have warned myself about naivety and putting excessive trust in our so-called partners.”
Putin has often suggested that the West let Russia down after the collapse of the Soviet Union, while trying to enforce a world order in which his country was no longer a global power.
Previously he has said that this helped to precipitate the confrontation in Ukraine.
U.S. likely behind Nord Stream pipeline explosions, Putin says
Putin blamed the United States for last year's explosions that blew up the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas into Europe.
“We didn’t blow up Nord Stream 1 and partly Nord Stream 2,” he said. “It was most likely the Americans who did it, or someone did it at their instigation.”
The explosions in the Baltic Sea caused major leaks and prompted accusations of sabotage, although there has been little clarity from ongoing investigations into what happened.
The blasts strained Russia's already fraught relations with the European Union, which condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
Media reports in March cited intelligence suggesting that a pro-Ukrainian group or pro-Ukraine saboteurs carried out the attack. Ukraine has denied any involvement.
A subtle jab at the length of his leadership
It was a subtle jab which Putin either missed or chose not to acknowledge.
On a large TV screen behind the audience, some of the more than 2 million questions appeared during the mammoth question-and-answer session, including one which mentioned the length of his leadership.
“In 2004 you said — ‘If you remain president for 7 years, you can go crazy.’” it said. “You have been in power for 23 years. How is your health?”
Putin announced his candidacy in next year's presidential election earlier this month, a move that could prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for at least another six years.
An uncomfortable moment as Putin questioned about strikes on Russian soil
MOSCOW — For once, Putin looked uncomfortable when asked about the shelling of Russian regions on the border with Ukraine and whether the government was doing enough to support people there.
“Shelling has become their daily routine,” a reporter at the state broadcaster RIA Novosti asked.
But Putin deftly avoided the question and instead focused on a follow-up video question from an entrepreneur in the border region of Belgorod to say that he will consider ramping up economic assistance for people there.
Belgorod and the neighboring region of Kursk have borne the brunt of the shelling which Russia blames on Ukraine. A number of people have been killed and injured in the strikes, for which Kyiv has never claimed responsibility.
A lone critic hopes to challenge Putin's power
MOSCOW — Boris Nadezhdin has promised to take on Putin in the presidential election to be held in March. It’s a risky act in a country where many critics have ended up jailed, exiled or dead.
“It is a very strange election because there is no real choice,” the veteran politician and commentator said. He understands the risks but he still wants to run, he told NBC News, to call out the president for undermining Russian democratic institutions, and air criticism of the war in Ukraine and Putin’s efforts at steering the country to greater authoritarianism.
“I am ready for everything,” he added.
Nadezhdin is one of only two people who have so far expressed willingness to square up against a leader expected to win by a wide margin. Russian elections are often mired in irregularities and claims of fraud. It is extremely difficult for challengers to get their names onto a ballot at any level. Critics say Russia’s elections are mostly just for show.
A funny moment as Putin was quizzed about AI and body doubles
At one point, Putin was asked by a student from St. Petersburg about his concerns over artificial intelligence and if he had any body doubles.
The questioner appeared to have an AI version of the president ask the question.
Russia's level of cooperation with China 'unprecedented'
Russia and China are enjoying an "unprecedented" level of cooperation, with trade reaching more than $200 billion this year, according to Putin.
Despite disapproval from the West, the relationship between China and Russia is one of the “guarantees of stability in the world,” he said.
Russia and China are not formal allies, but Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who refer to each other as “dear friends,” declared a “no limits” partnership at a meeting in Beijing weeks before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine or even describe them as an invasion, and has repeated Russian talking points defending the war. But it has also expressed concern about the humanitarian situation and called for peace talks, presenting its own 12-point plan earlier this year and sending a representative to Ukraine and Russia last month in an effort to mediate.
Russia in 'dialogue' with U.S. over jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich
Russia is looking to negotiate with the U.S. about detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, Putin said today, adding that contacts had been made to discuss securing his freedom.
His comments came shortly after Gershkovich’s pretrial detention on espionage charges was extended until Jan. 30 by a Russian court, according to the state news agency Tass.
Gershkovich has been in Russian custody since March. Both he and the Journal deny all charges against him. The U.S. considers Gershkovich wrongfully detained.
Putin said Russia had “contacts" with American partners about the case. “There is a dialogue going on about this. It’s not simple. I am not going to go into details. But I think we are generally speaking a language we can understand,” he added.
Putin watched around Russia
Members of the Ural Women’s Guard movement watch a televised broadcast of Putin’s annual question and answer session in the Russian region of Yekaterinburg today.
Analysis: Q&A may be choreographed but it still offers insight into Putin's thinking
MOSCOW — This is a choreographed question and answer session in which only participants allowed by the Kremlin are included, among them a small number of journalists from major Western news organizations, including NBC News.
But it is nonetheless offering up some insight into Putin's thinking.
In a video message, a doctor from a hospital in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol says there are “double” the patients than there should be for the number of medics.
Another shows a group of children in Russian-occupied Crimea standing in a sports hall with fungus on the walls and a leaking roof. “We have to train outside,” they say.
Putin said he was glad to hear those contributors describe those parts of Ukraine as Russia, but it does spotlight that Russia is not finding it easy to provide civilians with adequate support.