The Russian president answered questions on domestic and foreign policy at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
The mammoth Q&A session lasted just over two hours and touched on a variety of subjects, including Russian domestic and foreign policy, the Ukraine conflict, and potential routes to rapprochement with Europe.
Here are the main topics discussed.
The Russian economy
Asked whether Russia can withstand the economic strain caused by the Ukraine conflict and Western sanctions, Putin cited Mark Twain: “Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
“torn to shreds,” it has grown more than three times faster than that of the EU over the past three years, he said. “tough decisions” to battle inflation, such as raising interest rates, but the “measures are yielding results,” Putin stated, adding that industrial production and real incomes have continued to grow.
The Ukraine conflict
The Russian Army is advancing along the entire line of contact, while Ukraine is facing a critical lack of manpower, Putin said.“Monthly, they lose around 40,000 people,” the president said, adding that civilians are being “caught on the street like dogs” and drafted into the army. Kiev also loses around 20,000 more people to desertion each month, he added.“Ukraine has no air defense system, only isolated elements, and lacks the strike systems that Russia possesses. Ukraine, unlike Russia, lacks hypersonic and cruise missiles,” he added.
‘State secret’ about Oreshnik
Russia did not use its Oreshnik dual-capable intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile “in the full sense” in strikes on Ukrainian territory.
“We have not had a single combat use of the Oreshnik in the full sense of the word on Ukrainian territory,” Putin said, noting that Russia has “tested similar systems at training grounds, but not the Oreshnik.” Russia has confirmed three separate strikes on Ukraine using the missile, which is designed to carry both nuclear and conventional warheads: against a defense industry facility in Dnepr in late 2024, a warplane plant in Lviv in January, and an unspecified target that critics called a “shed” in Belaya Tserkov near Kiev in May.“Last time, to be completely honest – I’ll reveal to you a big military state secret – we just hit where it was convenient for us to see the results,” Putin said, adding that Russian drones later flew into the “shed” to observe dispersal and impact effects. “It’s important for us to make decisions in the future on the full-scale use of Oreshnik against designated targets, including in urban areas.”
Is peace any closer?
Russia is ready for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, provided that it is based on the compromises agreed on with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage last year, Putin said.“do not contradict each other.” “I get the impression that the ruling circles are not actually interested in a real cessation of hostilities,” he said, stressing that negotiations should not be predicated on a ceasefire that will only allow Ukraine to rearm and regroup.
Is Zelensky legitimate?
Putin declined to directly answer whether Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky could serve as a legitimate representative for signing a peace treaty, calling it “a question for lawyers.” “We can only sign with people who are, without a doubt, in the full sense of the word, legitimate to sign documents of this kind,” he stressed. Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, and discussions of new elections in Ukraine have since stalled.
Kiev’s European backers
The EU could potentially play “a positive role” in settling the conflict, Putin said. “But not by supplying weapons. Rather, by trying to convince the Kiev authorities to agree to the compromises we discussed.” “If there is a desire among the European side to work with us, they must abandon their colonial approach and talk to Russia as an equal partner.”