Questions from Russian citizens focus on domestic issues, while AI has aided in processing over 1.7 million inquiries
FILE PHOTO. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, December 14, 2023. © AP / Gavriil Grigorov
Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow, combining it with the ‘Direct Line’ question-and-answer session.
This marks the third time that the two events have been merged, a decision attributed to Putin’s packed schedule, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The event gathers journalists from across Russia as well as foreign correspondents. Questions from citizens have poured in through calls, text messages, social media, and a dedicated website, and totaled over 2 million by Thursday morning.
For the first time, artificial intelligence is being used to streamline the process. Topics of interest include infrastructure, healthcare, housing, and issues related to Russia’s ongoing military operations. Foreign policy concerns have taken a backseat this year, according to Peskov.
Putin has held similar events annually since 2001, with the exception of 2022. Known for their extensive duration and wide-ranging discussions, these sessions highlight both national priorities and pressing concerns for citizens.
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19 December 2024
11:36 GMT
Commenting on Russia’s campaign to improve its demographics, Putin described it as a crucial challenge defining the country’s future. He said that Russia is pursuing several large-scale programs, including offering more financial benefits such as maternity capital and subsidies for pregnant women.
- 11:25 GMT
The BRICS economic group is not a tool created for a standoff with the West, Putin has stressed. “We are not working against anybody. We are working for the sake of our interests and those of the group’s members.”
- 11:23 GMT
Russia is “always ready for talks and compromises,” including over Ukraine, Putin has said, stressing that it was Kiev that refused any engagement. He also recalled that Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a peace deal during the Istanbul talks in the spring of 2022, but that they were derailed by interference from then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who told Kiev “to fight until the last Ukrainian.”
“And that’s what they are doing. They’ll soon run out of those Ukrainians who are willing to fight,” he remarked.
- 11:14 GMT
Putin referred to the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov, who commanded the Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Moscow has blamed Kiev for the killing. Calling it a “terrorist act,” he chided the Western press for failing to ever condemn such attacks. “But I’m grateful to you for at least bringing it up,” he told an NBC reporter.
- 11:11 GMT
Putin acknowledged that Syria is facing a “complicated situation,” adding that Russia maintains contact with all local factions and regional partners.
He stressed that the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria depends on relations with the country’s new leadership. “Our interests must align. If we stay there, then we must do something which is in the interests of the hosting country,” the president said, adding that Russia proposed to its partners using Khmeimim Airbase in Latakia for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria.
- 11:03 GMT
While answering a question from an NBC reporter, Putin drew attention to the fact that Moscow still allows Western journalists to freely work in the country, despite an ongoing crackdown on the Russian press in some Western nations.
- 10:55 GMT
Putin noted that Russia had essentially no boots on the ground in Syria, with its military presence limited to an air force and a naval base. He added that tens of thousands of Syrian military personnel backed by a contingent of Iran-backed forces had withdrawn from Aleppo and many other regions without a fight, while facing only a handful of jihadist militants.
The Russian president also revealed that Moscow had helped Iran to evacuate 4,000 fighters to Tehran from Syria during the crisis.
- 10:52 GMT
Putin dismissed speculation that the recent toppling of Assad’s government by jihadist forces should be viewed as a “defeat” for Russia. He recalled that Russia sent troops to Syria in 2015 to prevent the country from turning into a “terrorist enclave.”
“We have accomplished our mission. Even those factions fighting Assad have changed internally,” he said, pointing out that Western countries are now lining up to forge ties with them.
- 10:44 GMT
The Russian president reiterated that he is ready to talk or meet with US President-elect Donald Trump. Asked if Trump would want to engage with him only when Russia is weakened, Putin argued that he believes Russia has only become stronger over the past two or three years. “We are becoming a truly sovereign country. There are not many on whom we still depend.”
- 10:42 GMT
Putin has said that he has not yet met with former Syrian President Bashar Assad after he was granted asylum in Russia, but plans to do so.
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