Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is ready for a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine, aimed at the "root causes of the conflict", TASS reported, citing a statement made by the Russian head of state during the annual direct line, during which he answers questions from citizens, combined with a press conference with journalists.
The event, titled "Summary of the Year with Vladimir Putin", began at 12:09 p.m. Moscow time.
"So far, we have not seen any real readiness on the part of Ukraine. But we are still receiving some signals, including from the regime in Kiev, that they are ready to engage in some kind of dialogue. "I just want to state that we have always said that we are ready and want to end the conflict peacefully, based on the principles that I outlined back in June 2024 at the Russian Foreign Ministry, by addressing the root causes of the conflict," Putin said.
Putin insists that all territories in four key regions seized by his forces, as well as the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, be recognized as Russian territory. He also demands that Ukraine withdraw from some eastern regions that Russian troops have not yet seized. Kiev has publicly rejected all of these demands, Reuters noted.
The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join NATO and has warned that it will not accept the deployment of troops from the bloc's member states, considering them a "legitimate target." Putin has repeatedly said that Ukraine must limit its army and recognize the Russian language as an official language - demands that he has made since the beginning of the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to abandon the country's NATO candidacy if the United States and other Western countries provide security guarantees similar to those for the alliance's member states. At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine's preferred option remains NATO membership, as the best guarantee of the country's security.
Putin assured today that during his meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska in August, he was asked to make compromises and agreed, Reuters notes. So now "the ball is in the court of the West and Ukraine," the Russian president said, amid diplomatic efforts to end the war involving the United States and Europe.
The Russian president stressed that Moscow's troops were advancing on the battlefield in Ukraine and expressed confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its goals by military means if Moscow's terms were not accepted at peace talks, the Associated Press notes.
During his annual news conference, Putin said that Russian forces had "fully taken the strategic initiative" and would achieve more successes by the end of the year.
"Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact - faster in some areas, slower in others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," Putin said during the live news conference. "After our troops pushed the enemy out of the Kursk region, the strategic initiative passed entirely into the hands of the Russian armed forces. This means that our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact - in some places faster, in others slower, but in all directions the enemy is retreating," he added.
There is still a shortage of heavy unmanned aerial vehicles at the front, but work is being done on this issue and the problem will be resolved, Putin assured. He stressed that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov personally deals with issues related to unmanned aerial vehicles and thanks to him, the situation with drones at the front has changed significantly.
"I would like to note the role of the Defense Minister, who personally deals with unmanned aerial vehicles and has done a lot for this. It is thanks to his efforts that the situation with unmanned aerial vehicles in our country has changed radically. The guys on the front line also notice this. I think you know it very well,“ Putin said in response to a question from a military correspondent.
"It must be said, and here there is no need to be shy, I think that in this regard we have become the unconditional leaders – in the number of drones. Yes, there are not enough heavy ones, like the enemy's "Baba Yaga", but in general, in the number of drones we surpass the enemy now practically on all sections of the front. Maybe there is something specific missing somewhere, but in general this is an obvious fact," Putin said.
He also said that the flow of volunteers into the army remains strong, exceeding 400,000 people this year. The AP agency notes that it cannot independently confirm the statement.
The government offers relatively high salaries and large social packages to volunteers who are increasing the number of troops.
The Kremlin claims that it relies solely on volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but media and human rights groups have reported that the military sometimes forces conscripts to sign contracts for the army.
In addition, the Russian president commented that using Russian assets to support Kiev would be robbery and that such a step would scare away investors, "not only dealing a blow to the image, but also undermining confidence in the eurozone".
"You can't talk about theft. Theft is the secret appropriation of property, and here they are trying to do it openly - a high-day robbery. Why can't this be done? Because the consequences can be serious for the thieves," he said.
"This is not just a blow to their image; This undermines confidence in the eurozone. Many countries, not only Russia, but also, above all, oil-producing countries, keep their gold and foreign exchange reserves in the eurozone," Putin stressed.
"In addition to image damage, there may also be direct damage related to the fundamental foundations of the modern financial order. And most importantly: whatever they steal and no matter how they do it, they will have to return it someday," the Russian president pointed out.
He also spoke about the issue of the Russian economy and the budget.
"GDP growth is 1% - this is a conscious decision by the government, the central bank and the entire leadership of the country, related to inflation targets. The overall goal is being achieved, with inflation likely to be below 6% by the end of the year - around 5.7 - 5.8%. "The slowdown in growth is a deliberate step, paid for in order to maintain the quality of the economy and macroeconomic indicators," he said.
Russia expects Serbia to fulfill its obligations under the intergovernmental agreement on (Serbian oil company) NIS, Putin also said. He stressed that Moscow assumes that the "friendly leadership of Serbia" will comply with the agreements and guarantee their implementation, noting that otherwise the security of investments is in question.
"How can we invest money in a country's economy if even intergovernmental agreements do not work? Where are the security guarantees?", the Russian president asked, quoted by the agency.
He pointed out that despite external attempts to improve relations, the sanctions pressure against Russia continues and also affects "Gazprom Neft" -owner of NIS. According to him, the Russian company has invested over $3 billion in the Serbian oil and gas company, which has been transformed into a modern and highly efficient enterprise and is among the main taxpayers in the Serbian budget.
According to the Serbian news agency TANJUG, Putin added that Moscow is aware of the situation surrounding NIS and hopes that a joint solution will be found.
"We have an intergovernmental agreement and we assume that the Serbian leadership will take it into account. We have an idea of the direction we want to move in together and we are working on it, hoping to find the necessary solution," the Russian president was quoted as saying by Serbian media.
Putin added that sanctions pressure continues to be used as a means of demonstrating strength, but Moscow expects Belgrade to fulfill its commitments and expressed confidence that Russia and Serbia will implement other joint projects in the future.
President Vladimir Putin's big annual press conference today was marked by strange moments and remarks from ordinary Russians who expressed their dissatisfaction through unfiltered messages, Reuters notes.
As expected, the dominant topic was Russia's war in Ukraine, but Putin also answered a number of unusual questions from ordinary people who took advantage of their only opportunity of the year to question him on all sorts of topics during the event.
A woman named Kristina asked Putin about aliens in Space, and a boy wanted to know if the president rode around Moscow incognito to gather information. He replied that he sometimes did.
One man said that Russia should erect a monument to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. The Kremlin leader replied with "That's a good idea. We'll definitely consider it".
Kirill Bazhanov, a 23-year-old student wearing a red bow tie and a flower in his lapel, proposed to his girlfriend Olga, who he said was watching the show, live on television. He invited Putin to the wedding before asking a question about financial support for young families.
The Kremlin presents the annual event, which usually lasts at least four hours, as proof that Putin cares about the problems of ordinary people and is ready to answer questions on any topic.
Selected questions were asked of Putin by moderators or members of the audience, who competed to attract his attention by waving placards.
Sarcastic messages addressed to the head of state also appeared on the large screen in the hall. "It's not a direct line, it's a circus", one comment read.
Another post, using Putin's first and middle names, read: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, it's Friday already, can we put the drinks away?"
The unexpected comments appeared on screens showing incoming text messages intended for Putin during the annual event, during which ordinary Russians are encouraged to send questions.
A post about the state of the Russian economy asked why ordinary Russians are worse off than people in Papua New Guinea.
Another comment, referring to Putin's ruling United Russia party, said: "Looking at life in the country, it's strange that (it) is winning a majority in the elections! Maybe the election is a sham?
The Kremlin has not yet commented on the emergence of such comments at this carefully planned and staged press conference watched by millions of Russians. Putin has not commented either.