A week after announcing his intention to run for a new presidential term, the Russian president recalled Moscow’s objectives in Ukraine and spoke of the resilience of the Russian economy.
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It is a media tradition that the Russian president has not enjoyed since 2021. Vladimir Putin gave his first annual press conference on Thursday December 14 in the presence of several Russian and foreign journalists. Last year, the head of state canceled this media meeting due to the war in Ukraine. Organized a week after declaring his desire to run for a new term in 2024, this question and answer session lasted a little over four hours. Here are the main takeaways.
On military objectives in Ukraine
After more than 22 months of war and a frozen front, the Russian president has reaffirmed the goals of his army. “I remind you what we talked about: the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, its neutral status”he said, adding that the solution “will be negotiated or obtained by force”. For the first time since the launch of the “special military operation” in February 2022, Vladimir Putin communicated the number of Russian soldiers present in Ukraine. The Russian army would be made up of 617,000 soldiers, including 244,000 mobilized.
On the resistance of the Russian economy
Asked about the state of health of the Russian economy, Vladimir Putin considers that his country has digested the shock of the various sets of sanctions applied to Moscow by Western countries since the start of the war. Russia would have a “sufficient safety margin” due to the “strong consolidation of Russian society” and the “stability of the financial and economic system”. The Russian leader also welcomed the good macroeconomic results. Russia expects its GDP to grow by 3.5% in 2023. “This means we have caught up and taken a big step forward.”said the Russian leader.
On an exchange with Washington on Americans detained in Russia
“We will reach an agreement. And these agreements must be mutually acceptable and agreeable to both parties”, insisted the Russian president. According to the latter, contacts between Washington and Moscow exist: “It’s not easy, but overall I think we understand each other”. Several American citizens, such as former marine Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich, are detained in Russia on espionage charges.
