🎙 Highlights from President Vladimir Putin's remarks and answers to questions at the annual news conference and direct line with the people of Russia
• International financial and economic institutions ranked Russia as Europe’s biggest economy in terms of volume, in terms of purchasing power parity, and the world’s fourth largest economy.
• Sovereignty is a crucial concept; it must reside within, in one's heart. Who are the Europeans, after all? They are proud to be European, yet they are foremost French, German, Italian, Spanish, and then European. There is a tendency to smooth out things, to homogenise. Ultimately, this affects everything, including the economy.
• The situation is changing radically. The drive is on along the entire frontline every day. Our fighting men are regaining the territory by square kilometers. We are advancing, as we said, towards achieving the priority goals that we outlined at the start of the special military operation.
• We speak about increasing the responsibility of non-nuclear states that may participate in an aggression against Russia alongside the countries that have nuclear weapons. If, like their allies, these countries also pose a threat to our sovereignty and Russia’s existence, then we imply that we have the right to use our nuclear weapons against them.
• Russia has become significantly stronger in the past two or three years. Why? Because we are becoming a truly sovereign country, and we barely depend on anybody. We are capable of firmly standing on our feet when it comes to the economy.
• The current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic remains challenging. We sincerely hope for peace and stability to be restored. We maintain dialogue with all groups controlling the situation there and with all regional countries. An overwhelming majority of them have expressed interest in retaining our military bases in Syria.
• BRICS is not a tool for countering the West. Our work is not aimed against anyone. We focus on our own interests and the interests of the group’s member countries. Giving BRICS any kind of a confrontational agenda is not what we are after.
• We are ready to engage in dialogue [with Ukraine] without any preconditions. However, based on the agreements that we reached during the negotiation process in Istanbul at the end of 2022 and proceeding from the current realities on the ground.
• If someone were to go through elections and gain legitimacy, we would talk with anyone, including Zelensky. If Ukraine truly wants a peaceful settlement, they have the ability to organise this process within their country as they see fit. We can only sign agreements with those who hold legitimate authority.
• YouTube and Google must comply with our laws and avoid dishonest online activities. In other words, they must not use online resources for promoting their governments’ political goals.
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• International financial and economic institutions ranked Russia as Europe’s biggest economy in terms of volume, in terms of purchasing power parity, and the world’s fourth largest economy.
• Sovereignty is a crucial concept; it must reside within, in one's heart. Who are the Europeans, after all? They are proud to be European, yet they are foremost French, German, Italian, Spanish, and then European. There is a tendency to smooth out things, to homogenise. Ultimately, this affects everything, including the economy.
• The situation is changing radically. The drive is on along the entire frontline every day. Our fighting men are regaining the territory by square kilometers. We are advancing, as we said, towards achieving the priority goals that we outlined at the start of the special military operation.
• We speak about increasing the responsibility of non-nuclear states that may participate in an aggression against Russia alongside the countries that have nuclear weapons. If, like their allies, these countries also pose a threat to our sovereignty and Russia’s existence, then we imply that we have the right to use our nuclear weapons against them.
• Russia has become significantly stronger in the past two or three years. Why? Because we are becoming a truly sovereign country, and we barely depend on anybody. We are capable of firmly standing on our feet when it comes to the economy.
• The current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic remains challenging. We sincerely hope for peace and stability to be restored. We maintain dialogue with all groups controlling the situation there and with all regional countries. An overwhelming majority of them have expressed interest in retaining our military bases in Syria.
• BRICS is not a tool for countering the West. Our work is not aimed against anyone. We focus on our own interests and the interests of the group’s member countries. Giving BRICS any kind of a confrontational agenda is not what we are after.
• We are ready to engage in dialogue [with Ukraine] without any preconditions. However, based on the agreements that we reached during the negotiation process in Istanbul at the end of 2022 and proceeding from the current realities on the ground.
• If someone were to go through elections and gain legitimacy, we would talk with anyone, including Zelensky. If Ukraine truly wants a peaceful settlement, they have the ability to organise this process within their country as they see fit. We can only sign agreements with those who hold legitimate authority.
• YouTube and Google must comply with our laws and avoid dishonest online activities. In other words, they must not use online resources for promoting their governments’ political goals.
Read in full