A brief summary of key points:
Has he succeeded in his goals for Ukraine? Yes, said Putin, claiming he pulled Russia from the “brink of the abyss.” Before the February 2022 invasion, Russia was in danger of losing its independence, he explained, and that’s no longer true. The loss of tens of thousands of troops, the exodus from Russia of hundreds of thousands of young people, the expansion of NATO to Sweden and Finland, the loss of Russia’s best customers (in Europe) for its most valuable exports (oil and gas), a domestic inflation rate above 9% and interest rates above 21% for an economy increasingly dependent on weapons production is apparently a small price to pay.
Putin also says he looks forward to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine with “no preconditions.” Except for one: Putin won’t speak with Volodymyr Zelensky, because Putin doesn’t consider him Ukraine’s “legitimate” president. He refused to speculate on when Ukrainian forces might finally be driven out of Russia’s Kursk region.
On Syria, the sudden overthrow and flight to Moscow of President Bashar Assad, a leader Russia has supported militarily, financially, and politically for many years, is not a “defeat” for Russia, Putin insisted. The Kremlin continues negotiations with the HTS, now in power in Damascus, to keep its ships in the Syrian port of Tartus and its nearby military bases in operation.
Finally, Putin warned the West “stands no chance” of defending itself against Russia’s hypersonic ballistic missile, known as the Oreshnik. Used once during the war in Ukraine, these weapons will now be mass-produced, he says.
We’re watching how this strongman rhetoric plays out as Russia and the West aim for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.