Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that his secret services failed to prevent the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov, killed on Tuesday in an explosion in Moscow claimed by Kiev’s secret services. “This means that our intelligence services let these attacks through. They let these attacks pass,” he admitted from Moscow on Thursday, during his traditional end-of-year press conference.
“We simply have to improve this work, we must not allow such flaws,” he continued in his first statement on this assassination, more than 48 hours after the events. General Igor Kirillov was killed on Tuesday in southeast Moscow in an explosion claimed by the Ukrainian secret service (SBU), a modus operandi described by Putin on Thursday as “terrorist”.
His death in the middle of Moscow raises questions about the security protocols surrounding Russian leaders and important figures in the country, while the Russian capital has been heavily protected for three years.
General Kirillov, sanctioned in October by London for the alleged deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine, is the highest Russian military official to have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive against neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.
A suspect – an Uzbek citizen born in 1995 – has been arrested, Russian authorities announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine has claimed responsibility or been attributed several assassinations in Russia and the occupied territories since 2022, which particularly targeted military or political leaders and ideological supporters of the Russian onslaught.
The traditional end-of-year press conference is also an opportunity for Putin to take stock of various dossiers. During the event, the head of the Kremlin also spoke about the economy, declaring that the Russian economy is showing signs of overheating, fueling worrying inflation.
Addressing citizens, Putin expressed support for the central bank’s tough policy, adding that the institution, however, should have taken measures more quickly. Vladimir Putin indicated he was warned by the central bank that inflation will exceed expectations in 2024, reaching 9.2% or 9.3% versus an estimate of 8.5%. It also predicted that economic growth will slow to 2%-2.5% in 2025, a considerable decrease from 4% this year.
The president said Western sanctions, the year’s particularly poor harvest due to bad weather conditions and the central bank’s lack of responsiveness were to blame for rising inflation, particularly rising commodity prices. foodstuffs.
During the event, Putin also said he was ready to meet US President-elect Donald Trump “at any time”. Statements that come as there is speculation from many quarters about a possible peace process to be started between Russia and Ukraine.
“I don’t know when I’ll see him. He doesn’t say anything about it. I haven’t spoken to him for more than four years – he declared – I’m ready to do it, obviously. At any time. And I will also be ready for a meeting if you want it.”
Donald Trump said Monday he wanted to talk to Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the “massacre” of the armed conflict in Ukraine. Trump, who takes office in January, promised during his campaign to quickly end the war and has already called for an “immediate ceasefire” and talks, so much so that Europeans and Ukrainians fear he could force Kiev to make concessions important and grant a geopolitical victory to the Kremlin.
The US president-elect said Ukraine should “probably” expect less aid from Washington and said he opposed Kiev’s use of Western missiles to strike Russia. For his part, Vladimir Putin has stated several times that he is ready to discuss with Ukraine as long as the talks are based on “ground realities”, where Russian forces have had the advantage since the beginning of the year.
Russia specifically demands that Ukraine cede four regions that it partially occupies – Donetsk and Lugansk in the east and Zaporizhzhya and Kherson in the south – in addition to Crimea annexed in 2014, and that Kiev renounces its ambition to join NATO .
Volodymyr Zelensky has long been categorically against any concessions, but he has softened this position in recent months in the face of his army’s difficulties on the front and fears of a weakening of Western aid. From Brussels, on Thursday he urged Europeans not to abandon his country and to show unity, also addressing the United States, just weeks after Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
