Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has yet to meet with exiled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad – even though he personally decided to grant asylum to the dictator and his family when the dictator fled -Syria's time in exile after his regime fell.
He made the comment during an annual press conference and question-and-answer session, where he fielded questions from both journalists in the audience and Russian citizens who submitted their questions in advance.
The topics ranged from Syria, Ukraine, the Russian economy and Putin's relationship with US president Donald Trump, all part of a carefully planned appearance that lasted more than four hours.
Putin, who said he has not spoken to Trump in four years, said he is willing to meet the incoming US president, who has repeatedly pledged to end the war in Ukraine shortly after taking office on January 20.
While many questions from the audience came from journalists affiliated with Russian state media, NBC's Keir Simmons asked Putin if he was willing to compromise when it comes to Ukraine – a question he didn't answer. the Russian president replied flatly.
“We are ready,” Putin said without offering any details. “We just need the other side to be ready as well. For compromise and for compromise.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly said it will not negotiate with Ukraine unless it renounces its desire to join NATO and withdraw troops from areas it now controls. Russian soldiers.
Kursk
Putin was also asked about Russia's fight to recapture hundreds of square kilometers of the Kursk region, which Ukraine still controls after a cyber attack on western Russia in August.
He said Russian troops are fighting to retake Kursk, but there is no definite date when they will “liberate” it.
“The situation (at the front) is changing a lot. There is movement along the entire front line every day,” he said.
He noted that the campaign into Ukraine should have started by February 2022, saying that Russia should be “systematically prepared for it.”
Although he went on to praise the heroic efforts of Russian soldiers, there was no mention of the thousands of North Korean soldiers who Ukraine and the US say are fighting alongside the Russians.
At least 100 of them were killed, according to a South Korean lawmaker who cited information from the country's spy agency on Thursday.
Russian state media reported that two million Russian citizens submitted questions before Putin's press conference on topics ranging from the cost of living, mortgage rates and what Russia still calls “special military operations.”
Economy
The first question was about him Economy of Russiabecause of the high rate of inflation driven by the country funneling money into the war effort. Across the country, there have been concerns about rising food and grocery prices.
Putin admitted that the inflation rate, which is above nine percent, is a “scary” figure but said that the government's measures to cool the economy are working. He said economic growth is expected to be around four percent this year and will slow in 2025.
“I think the (growth rate) next year should be around two to 2.5 percent, a kind of soft landing to maintain macroeconomic indicators,” he said.
Syria
Putin was asked about Russia's presence in Syria, where it has two major military bases, the Hmeimim air base and a naval base at the port of Tartous.
Satellite images pointed out that Russia is currently moving some of the military equipment, but Putin said that Russia has suggested that its “partners” use the air base for humanitarian purposes.
The future of the air base, which has been used to launch strikes across Syria in support of Assad, is now in question, as the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has taken control of Damascus, pushing out the Russian-based Assad government. spent years ago.
“On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said when talking about the centers. “We are maintaining relations with all the organizations that hold control the situation there,
He also criticized Israel's seizure of areas in the country, and said he believed Israel had no intention of withdrawing its troops from Syria.
US journalist Austin Tice
At the press conference, Simmons asked Putin if he would talk to Assad about missing US journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped on a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012.
Putin replied that Tice was someone who disappeared 12 years ago during a civil war but then said he would ask Assad about the American when the two spoke.
Tice, a former US marine, was one of the first US journalists to enter Syria after the war began.
US President Joe Biden said earlier this month that the government believes Tice is still alive. It was hoped that Tice would be found among the thousands released from prisons in Damascus.
