Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his country should have launched an attack on Ukraine “earlier” and to have been better prepared for it, ensuring that Russia was “deceived” et “constraint” to launch his offensive.
The special operation
“If it were possible to go back in time, knowing what is happening today, I would have considered deciding to launch a special operation (in Ukraine) earlier,” Mr. Putin said at his major annual press conference.
The Ukrainian army in Russia
Vladimir Putin admitted Thursday that he did not know when his army would manage to push back Ukrainian forces from the Russian region of Kursk, a small part of which they have controlled since a surprise offensive in August.
“We will absolutely defeat them”assured the Russian president during his major annual press conference, answering a question from a resident of this region. “But as for the question of a specific date, I’m sorry, I can’t say that now,” he admitted.
Bachar Al-Hassad
Vladimir Putin assured Thursday that he had not seen Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president overthrown in early December and who found refuge with his family in Russia, but said he had “the intention to do so”.
“I have not yet seen President Assad since his arrival in Moscow, but I intend to do so. I will certainly speak to him,” he declared during his major annual press conference, in response to a question from an American journalist.
Israel
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called on Israel to withdraw its troops from “Syrian territory”, these having been deployed in a buffer zone controlled by the UN separating the two countries on the Golan Heights.
“We hope that Israel will withdraw from Syrian territory at some point”said the Russian leader, whose country serves as a refuge for Bashar al-Assad. “The main beneficiary of the events in Syria is Israel. Russia condemns the seizure of any Syrian territory”he added, during his major annual press conference.
Inflation in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Thursday that galloping inflation in Russia was a “worrying signal”while wanting to be reassuring about the prospects of the Russian economy.
“Inflation is a worrying signal”he admitted in the first minutes of his major annual press conference, before emphasizing that salaries had “increase” and that the situation was generally “stable”. Inflation should be close to 9% at the end of the year, after nearly 7.5% in 2023 and 12% in 2022.
