Lukashenko Called Poland's Plans To Wall Build On Border With Belarus A 'Stupid Idea'

Alexander Lukashenko, talking about Poland's plans to build a wall on the border with Belarus, called it a stupid idea, during an interview with Nisa Efendioglu, a journalist and presenter of TRT Haber TV channel.

“Apparently, some of the initiators of this project in Poland have run out of money. therefore, they want to replenish their wallets using this project. if we talk about the wall, it will cost neither $400 million nor $500 million, as they plan, but about $1 billion,” the head of state said.

He noted that a wall had already been built in some sections of the Belarusian-Polish border, but this does not help deter refugees: “As Polish special services admit, most of the refugees penetrated the country in the areas where this wall was built. all in all, about 25,000 people. therefore, does it make any sense to build such a wall?”

Lukashenko recalled the U.S. attempts to build a wall on the border with Mexico. "One President was into it, the next administration is destroying this wall now. I think that something like that will happen in Poland,” the Belarusian leader noted. “We are not concerned about it. That's their problem. Let them do it. This will not hurt us. But the situation in Poland is very unstable. The current government may not survive. And I am sure that smarter, more rational people will come to power and find better use for one billion dollars."

The Berlin Wall fall was a victory for European democracy. everyone welcomed the destruction of dividing lines and walls on the border! Now they want to fence the European Union off with a 5.5m high wall? Somehow it does not fit into their ideology and democracy. This is a stupid, silly idea," the President concluded.

Putin Claims West Has Been 'Dreaming' About Russia's Collapse Since 90s

The West was confident in the imminent collapse of Russia back in the 1990s, Vladimir Putin said in an interview for a documentary entitled "Russia: Its Recent History" aired on the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

Putin Admits 'In 90s Sometimes Worked As A Private Hire Taxi Driver'

In an interview with Russian TV, Vladimir Putin admitted that in the difficult 1990s for Russia, he sometimes worked as a private taxi driver on his famous Volga GAZ 21, which he brought from the GDR.

Lukashenko Says Deep Reasons Behind Pressure On Belarus Are Connected To US

Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an interview to the Turkish broadcaster TRT. The interviewer was Nisa Efendioglu, a journalist and presenter of TRT Haber TV channel.

When asked about the reasons behind the pressure on Belarus, Lukashenko said: “Deep reasons behind pressure on Belarus are connected to the USA. I am not going to recount all the reasons. I will try to specify the key ones. The key reason is that we happened to be the key link in the USA’s and NATO’s pressure on Russia.”

Lukashenko remarked that once the revolt failed and a fast attempt to break the country failed, they switched to systematic pressure and a hybrid war. “Pressure and attacks against Belarus from various directions with different intensity are the essence of this hybrid war. It is manifested as pressure via mass media, via diplomatic channels, political channels. And now they have switched to tough pressure via economic channels. Five packages of sanctions have been introduced by Americans and Europeans against Belarus,” the head of state said.

Putin, Top Judge Discuss Russia’s Legislative System

Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Chairman of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin on Monday.

Putin and Zorkin congratulated each other on the last Constitution Day of Russia.

The Constitution is the foundation of the entire legal system of the state, and the role of the Constitutional Court here, as the supreme constitutional control body, is of everlasting importance.

"The updated Constitution has strengthened the role of the Constitutional Court even more,"Putin stressed.

Russia has been living under the sign of the updated Constitution for the second year already. "Of course, we are trying to use the new provisions of the Constitution, for example, in the social sphere.

The number of complaints has not increased, but the number of rulings has remained approximately the same,"Top Judge said.

According to Zorkin, Russia’s legislative system has become stable, balanced and more professional. "Of course, there are always blemishes, the pabulum for the Constitutional Court. But I think that now we should lay greater emphasis on law enforcement, because we check not just the letter of the law but also take into consideration law enforcement practice. And that is where the trouble lies, as the saying goes,"Zorkin said.

Also, the judge noted an increase in the level of legal awareness of citizens.

"The level of legal awareness, of course, has increased, and increased demands are being made on us,"he added.

Putin Harshly Reacts To Filmmaker's Public Statements At HRC Meeting

During the Meeting of Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, Vladimir Putin reacted sharply to the public and emotional statements by film director Alexander Sokurov on the revision of the federal structure of Russia, the army and the Union State.

Sokurov became quite emotional as he proceeded to express his point of view on Russia’s federal structure, problems in the North Caucasus, a number of regional border conflicts, human rights concerns, support for the Russian North and its culture. Alexander Sokurov ended his remarks by saying: “I apologise for speaking so long and so passionately, too passionately. I am sorry.”

"We can debate this issue if you like and as long as you like. But I assure you that the overwhelming majority of the people realise what kind of trouble they will face if they act differently. By the way, the Chechen people know this better than anyone else in the Caucasus,"Putin said. Russia have 2,000 territorial claims in our country.

"Mr Sokurov, do you want to see a repeat of the Yugoslavia scenario on our territory?"he added.

The President warned the director against rash statements.

"I have known you for a very long time now, and I have a lot of respect for you, because you always speak your mind. Frankly, though, you are not always accurate in what you say. Certain things should be properly considered and reviewed first, such as relations among the Nakh [Chechen and Ingush peoples] people. Please take these matters seriously,"he said.

"These matters must be taken very seriously. And talking about this lightly for everyone in our country to hear is not something that even you should do. I assure you that these are dangerous games, we have been here before,"he added.

Putin also stood up to protect the Russian army.

"Do not worry about our army. It is doing fine, it is developing. An organisation as complex as an army, with almost a million service members, cannot go without issues. But if you look at our army of the mid-1990s and today's army… Just look at what those who have declared us an adversary are saying about our army. You will get an idea of the distance covered by our army, its current status and what we can count on in the near future,"he said.

The President also touched upon the topic of Russia's assistance to Belarus within the framework of the Union State.

"You can think whatever you want about Belarus, Belarusians, or the leadership of Belarus, but to say that it lives off our allowance is incorrect, Mr Sokurov. It is unseemly to say so in public. This shows disrespect for the entire nation and the entire country, which is part of the Union State. This is a delicate and lengthy process that requires exceptional competence and patience, and respect for your partner,"Putin stressed.

Putin Disappointed With Facts Of Memorial Case

Vladimir Putin discussed the International Memorial case with journalist Nikolai Svanidze at the meeting of the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

Svanidze raised the issue of the developments around Memorial. The Prosecutor’s Office called on the court to shut down International Memorial and the Memorial human rights centre and asked the President to take control of the matter.

In turn, Putin acquainted those present with the facts from this case.

"As for the international organisations Memorial is trying to defend, they are blacklisted in Russia as terrorist and extremist organisations,"he read.

The second problem is that unfortunately Memorial has repeatedly committed violations, and, as the document given to me reads, it did so defiantly. Its violations were blatant.

Finally, according to the documents, this organization defended Nazi criminals.

Putin admitted that he always considered the Memorial to be the main guardian of the memory of victims of political repression in the Soviet Union, but Nazi criminals turned out to be on the list of those whom Memorial considers to be victims of political repression of Soviet political repression.

"Memorial itself should make its current activities fully meet the noble goals that it declared to be the main area of its work and should prevent anything similar to what I have just mentioned,"Putin stressed.

The President promised to closely follow the progress of the trial.

"I hope they will be unbiased,"he noted.

Putin Discuss Law On Foreign Agents In Media At HRC Meeting

Vladimir Putin discussed the law on foreign agents in the media with the editor-in-chief of Moskovsky Komsomolets Pavel Gusev at the meeting of the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

Gusev spoke about the law on foreign agents in the media, which he described as one of the most controversial laws, listed its shortcomings and proposed creating a separate working group with the participation of corresponding parliamentary committees, journalist unions, and the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights in order to deal with the issues that are haunting media outlets recognised as foreign agents.

"We should pay attention to what you said, including the way this document was drafted, meaning that it was not discussed with the professional community. we must do more than just note this. this work must be done and we must see how it works and what it leads to,"Putin said.

"We must ensure freedom of speech and, to a certain extent, the inviolability of people who talk about the flaws of our society, the imperfections of our state apparatus and the governance system, and questions that arise during election campaigns. No doubt about it. What we need to do though is protect ourselves from potential external interference in our domestic affairs. We need to protect ourselves from anyone using any kind of tool in Russia to pursue their goals that have nothing to do with our interests. This is what we are talking about,"he added.

Putin Supports Measures To Prevent Cyberbullying For Teens

The bullying and the promotion of Western culture, although this has nothing to do with culture, in our society, and these behaviour patterns are often promoted by social media, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on Thursday.

Western parliamentarians are now actively discussing the impact of these international platforms on the minds of younger people and their personal development, and their negative impact on the psyche of teenagers and children. we, too, should step up and take a closer look at that. Europe is paying much attention to this, and the United States is beginning to raise these issues at public or parliamentary platforms.

Putin supported Kirill Kabanov's proposals on preventive measures in this matter.

"We should proceed with caution given the young age of the people we are talking about, but we must do it nonetheless,"he said.

Putin: 'We Must Not Restrict People’s Rights While Ensuring Their Coronavirus Safety'

"We must not restrict people’s rights, on the one hand, while ensuring their security and safety. therefore, before we issue any final decisions, they must be exhaustively discussed,"Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on Thursday.

Vaccination certificates only serve as proof of vaccination.

"We also know that almost all countries have chosen the same path, all countries without exception that have the opportunity to vaccinate their people. still, we have to proceed very carefully, weigh out every step and understand what is happening. the entire procedure must be perfectly clear and transparent. it must not create any additional problems for people,"he added.

The President also raised the issue of dividing society into those who are for and against vaccinations. "Some people are opposed to vaccination and object to any restrictions. and those who support vaccination receive jabs and demand, including from officials in their regions, that they be guarded from the unvaccinated. you see, there are certain issues in society that also need to be addressed. at any rate, we must make decisions carefully,"Putin noted.

The President suggested not rushing to introduce restrictions on public transport.

"We must fully consider the consequences and check if the transport system is ready. we must not restrict people’s rights, on the one hand, while ensuring their security and safety. therefore, before we issue any final decisions, they must be exhaustively discussed,"Putin said.

"We will, in cooperation with the professional community, find a solution that can guarantee the rights of all citizens,"Vladimir Putin stressed.

Putin Says Torture In Russian Prisons Is Absolutely Unacceptable

Vladimir Putin commented on violations at the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, including violence against prisoners and torture, which have recently appeared on the Internet.

"Such things are absolutely unacceptable. What is there to say?"Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on Thursday.

The Central Office of the Investigative Committee is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the issues that have become public and are now being reviewed as part of the criminal cases that have been opened.

"I agree with you that it is necessary to take system-wide measures that would change the situation.

Everything you mentioned definitely needs to be very carefully analysed, after which relevant measures can be adopted,"President said after report of the Council member Eva Merkacheva.

The Federation Council has already started introducing amendments to the legislation that actually define the crime of torture. This work is underway.

Also discussed were the issues of the large number of people in pre-trial detention centers, the use of modern technologies and tracking methods instead of detention, the establishment of correctional facilities and the equipment of prison hospitals.

Putin Says Developments In Donbass Look Like Genocide Of Russians

Developments in Donbass look like genocide, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on Thursday.

"You and I know what is happening in Donbass. It certainly looks like genocide, as you said," he pointed out, addressing Executive Director of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency Kirill Vyshinsky.

Putin emphasized that Russophobia was the first step to genocide. The head of state noted that "it requires careful action so that these notions aren’t devalued." However, in his words, the notions should reflect the reality of what is happening at the moment.

Putin Cleaned CIA Employees Out From Russian Government In 2000s

Vladimir Putin shed some light on the methods that foreign states used to influence the Russian Federation in mid-1990s. He underscored that he thwarted such actions in the early 2000s.

"For instance: mid-1990s-early 2000s; in the early 2000s, I’ve cleaned all of them out, but in mid-1990s, we had Central Intelligence Agency employees as advisors and even official employees of the government of the Russian Federation, as we learned later," Putin said at the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights meeting Thursday.

"Later, they were brought to responsibility in the US for, while being CIA employees and working in Russia, they violated the US law and took part in the privatization," the President underscored. According to Putin, "this is only one example" of attempted interference in Russia’s internal affairs. "In reality, they are much more numerous," Putin said.

According to the head of state, "certain countries had some degree of control via this channel."

"There were American specialists sitting at our nuclear weapons complex sites, they went to work there, from morning to late night - they had a table and an American flag. They lived there and worked there. They did not need any fine instruments to interfere in our life, because they had control over everything already," Putin said.

He underscored that "of course, the situation has changed, the country became different, it became more independent, more sovereign; its armed forces’ capabilities are growing and the attitude towards Russia began to change."

"As soon as Russia started claiming its interests, started to raise its sovereignty, economy and armed forces’ capability, new instruments of influence on our internal political life became needed, including rather fine instruments via various organizations, funded from abroad," the Russian leader believes.

He underscored that Russia has not become hostile to anyone.

"This is simply not true. Russia has not become hostile to any part of the world at all. A certain part of the world considers us their adversaries," Putin noted. "Did we declare anyone as our adversary in any strategic documents? No. It is us who were declared," Putin explained.

Putin's Remarks At The Virtual EAEU Summit

Vladimir Putin participates in a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (EAEU) via videoconference on Friday.

Also taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov; heads of the EAEU observer states – President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev; Honorary Chairman of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Nursultan Nazarbayev, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Development Bank Nikolai Podguzov.

The participants adopted a package of documents following the meeting. In particular, they adopted agreements on the use of navigation seals to track shipments in the Eurasian Economic Union and on audit activities within the EAEU. A number of decisions were also taken, including on the formation of a free trade zone between the EAEU and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the areas of the EAEU’s international activities for 2022, observer state status in the EAEU, and the functioning of a common services market.

Russian Fighter Jets Escort NATO Warplanes Over Black Sea

Russia’s Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets escorted a group of French and US warplanes over the Black Sea, the National Defense Management Center said in a statement on Thursday.

"On December 9, 2021, Russian airspace control systems detected aerial targets flying towards the Russian border over international waters in the Black Sea," the statement reads.

According to the center, Russian aircraft crews identified the aerial targets as a Mirage 2000 jet fighter and a Rafale fighter from the French Air and Space Force, the US Army’s CL-600 Artemis reconnaissance aircraft, an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft from the US Air Force and a French KC-135 refueling aircraft, and escorted them over the Black Sea.

"The planes were stopped from violating the Russian border," the statement said. "After turning the foreign warplanes away from Russia’s border, the Russian fighter jets safely returned to their home airfield," the center added.

Three Su-27 fighters from the Southern Military District’s air defense quick reaction alert forces were scrambled to escort the foreign aircraft.

Russia's MFA Notes Kiev Sending More Troops To Donbass Conflict Area

Ukraine is building up its troops near the line that separates its self-proclaimed republics, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

The country is doing this with the support from NATO, which is "simply pumping weapons into Ukraine, which is in a state of civil war," she said at a news conference.

Ceasefire violations in the area reached almost 90,000, Zakharova said.

"The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission is registering the deployment by Kiev of heavy weapons, including large-caliber artillery and armored vehicles, to the east of the country," she said. "The use of drones is ongoing."

Putin's Opening Remarks At Meeting Of Council For Civil Society And Human Rights

On the eve of Human Rights Day, on Thursday, Vladimir Putin held a traditional meeting with the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

"I am happy to note that now the Council is actively dealing with pressing problems that are causing concern in our society," President noted.

One of them is protecting people from financial fraud. Criminals have deprived tens of millions of people of their housing, literally leaving them out in the street. The Council persistently raised this issue and eventually amendments were introduced to the law on the activities of consumer credit co-operatives, banning the issuance of loans secured only by housing as collateral. This created a barrier in the way of fraudulent schemes of microcredit organisations.

Also, Council has supported the owners of agricultural lands who had no right to maintain forests on their land plots. Facing huge fines, they had to destroy these forests. The Council’s view on that matter was taken into account as well, and the Forest Code has been amended to allow landowners to keep the forests, which has saved hundreds of hectares of forest.

The Council has contributed was to ensure the compliance of foreign IT companies operating in Russia with Russian legislation. It is no secret that there have been numerous cases of fraud, abuse of our citizens’ personal data and the distribution of illegal content, including content dangerous to children, on transnational online platforms. At the same time, people have nowhere to turn to with their complaints or to demand the restoration of their rights.

Putin also mentioned the Council's decision that concerns a small group of people but is extremely important for every one of them.

Putin also mentioned the Council's decision that concerns a small group of people but is extremely important for every one of them.

"It concerns children after a retinoblastoma operation. These children need to confirm their disability every year until they grow up to receive financial support for the prosthetic eye care – I remember how we discussed that matter and how our colleagues raised it. The issue has been settled following discussions at the Council, and now the disability certificate the children receive after surgery remains valid until they turn 18," he added.

What Is Vladimir Putin Ashamed Of?

The problem of the homeless, without a doubt, should cause a feeling of shame among all those in power in Russia, Vladimir Putin stressed at the meeting of the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, on Thursday.

"I know that all our traditional confessions are somehow involved in this work, helping people, and we need to encourage this in every possible way, establish work with them and also support them in work in this direction,"Putin said.

Russia’s Military Chief Warns Moscow Will Suppress Any Kiev's Provocations In Donbass

The standoff in eastern Ukraine is escalating but any provocations by the Ukrainian authorities to settle the strife in Donbass involving the use of force will be thwarted, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov cautioned at a briefing for foreign military diplomats on Thursday.

"The deliveries of helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft to Ukraine are pushing the Ukrainian authorities towards abrupt and dangerous steps. Kiev is not fulfilling the Minsk Agreements.

The Ukrainian armed forces are touting that they have started to employ US-supplied Javelin anti-tank missile systems in Donbass and are also using Turkish reconnaissance/strike drones. As a result, the already tense situation in the east of that country is further deteriorating," Russia’s military chief noted.

"However, any provocations by the Ukrainian authorities to settle the Donbass difficulties militarily will be thwarted, the chief of the Russian General Staff warned.

As Gerasimov pointed out, the hype spread by the media about Russia allegedly bracing for an invasion of Ukraine is a lie, while military activity on Russia’s own soil requires no notifications.

"NATO countries pay excessive attention to troop movements on Russian territory. The troop relocation in the course of combat training is routine practice for the armed forces of any state. Military activity conducted on national territory does not require any notice. The media reports on Russia’s alleged preparation for an invasion into Ukraine is a lie," he stressed.

Putin Says West Trying To Restrain Russia’s Development From Fear Of Competition

Washington's sanctions against the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and other scientific organizations can only be seen as US attempts to restrain Russia's development, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with participants of the Congress of Young Scientists.

"What we can state is that these restrictions and sanctions are being introduced on the grounds of ensuring the security of the United States. How does your institute threaten the security of the United States? This is complete nonsense," he said, commenting on restrictions against MIPT and other Russian scientific organizations.

According to Putin, such measures have only one explanation: they are an attempt to contain the development of Russia.

Elaborating on this topic, the head of state recalled the situation in the mid-1990s.

"We [Russia] were all good and everyone liked it when they sent us potatoes as humanitarian aid. Thank you for that, many did it sincerely," the Russian President said.

But in general, as soon as Russia began to get out of its difficulties and began to develop, it turned into a competitor for the Western countries and they started to pursue the policy of containment against it, Putin went on.

Earlier, the US Department of Commerce put MIPT on the list of legal entities that, according to Washington, are the "military end users" of the products. This is according to a notice published on November 24 in the electronic database of the US Federal Register. Organizations on the list are subject to a stricter export control regime.

The West launched its policy of containment in relation to Russia because the country began to get out of its difficulties and develop as a competitor, Vladimir Putin said.

Russia began to compete in production, science, and energy, the head of state added. "And this is what they don’t like. Therefore, our so-called partners began to pursue a policy of containment," Putin said.

He drew attention to the fact that this policy towards Russia is nothing new and has been pursued for centuries.

"If you look at the diplomatic correspondence, say, at the beginning of the 19th century, you will see: as if everything was written yesterday. That is simply amazing. When you read it - it is all the same word for word," he said.

Now Western countries have returned to such rhetoric precisely because they are afraid of competition, the head of state said.

"Science and education are one of the areas of competition, one of the areas to restrain the development of Russia," he noted.

To be able to successfully resist sanctions Russia needs to strengthen its sovereignty Putin went on. He underscored that science is the future of any country because technological achievements take shape in "concrete development results."

"So how can we respond to it [sanctions]? Globally, of course, we need to strengthen our sovereignty," Putin said, referring to US sanctions against Russian science.

The President recalled that although Russia is the largest supplier of energy resources to the world market, the country purchases a significant part of equipment related to oil production abroad.

"Could we avoid it [such a situation] in due time? Yes, we could, of course. But we did not pay attention, because it did not occur to us that the situation could develop as it is today," he said.

Putin's Address On Heroes of Fatherland Day

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin congratulated Russians on Heroes of the Fatherland Day.

On February 16, 2007 the deputies of the Russian Duma made changes to the Federal law “On the days of martial glory and memorable dates of Russia”. According to these changes the Day of December 9 was declared the Heroes of the Fatherland Day. On this day are celebrated the Heroes of the Soviet Union, the Heroes of the Russian Federation, the holders of the Saint George Order and the Order of Glory.

The date of the holiday is timed for the day of a Christian saint, a great martyr Saint George the Triumphant who obtained his nickname for courage and spiritual victory over tormentors who had not succeeded to make him refuse the Christianity and also for his miraculous aide to people in danger. The cult of Saint George the Triumphant passed from Byzantine Empire to Russia in 10-11th centuries. Initially the Saint George was known as the patron of counts especially during their war marches. On the icons he was portrayed as a standing warrior with a spear and a shield or a sword and a spear. Gradually the standing warrior was being replaced by a horseman struggling with a serpent. A legend “A miracle of George and a serpent” was dedicated to him. It told about the Saint George who saved a tsar’s daughter from a terrible serpent-ogre suppressing him with a cross and a prayer and then piercing him with a spear.

Before the October revolution there was a tradition to celebrate all the holders of St. George Order on this day, from such prominent persons as A.V. Suvorov, G.A. Potemkin, M.I. Kutuzov to ordinary soldiers, sailors and Cossacks awarded with St. George crosses and medals. For the last time the holiday of St. George holders’ was celebrated in the imperial Russia on November 26 (December 9), 1916. After the October revolution of 1917 the Order and the holiday itself were abolished.

August 8, 2000 the Order of Saint George was restored as the highest military award in Russia, and in 2007 was also revived the holiday - Day of the Heroes of the Fatherland, which was first celebrated in Russia December 9, 2007.

Putin Meets With Participants In The Congress Of Young Scientists

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with participants in the Congress of Young Scientists, which is capping off the Year of Science and Technology in Russia. 

The Congress of Young Scientists is being held on December 8–10 at the Sirius Science and Art Park.

Putin's Response To 'Provocative' Media Question About Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

Russia advocates peace but has the right to ensure its security in the medium to long term, Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

"It’s a provocative question," he said at a news conference following a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, when asked by reporters if Russia was going to invade Ukraine.

"Russia is conducting a peaceful policy but it has the right to ensure its security, as I mentioned, in the medium and longer term," he went on to say. "we are discussing it with our partners, all of our partners, including the person I spoke with yesterday, the President of the United States of America, Mr. Biden."

Putin and Joe Biden held a video call that lasted two hours on December 7. The talks focused on the situation around Ukraine.

"We are concerned over the prospects of Ukraine’s possible accession to NATO, as it will definitely result in the deployment of military contingents, bases and weapons posing a threat to us," Putin said.

According to him, Russia proceeds from the fact that its concerns "will be heard at least this time," although over the previous decades, despite the statements of the Russian side, NATO’s infrastructure has been approaching the country’s borders. "Now we witness the missile defense systems in Poland and Romania," the president recalled.

"We have every reason to believe that the same will happen if Ukraine joins NATO, but on the Ukrainian soil. How can we not think about it, it would be a criminal omission from our side: witnessing impotently what happens," Putin stressed.

Putin Sums Up Results Of Virtual Summit With Biden

The possibility of continuing the dialogue between Russia and the United States is the main result of his virtual summit with Joe Biden, according to Vladimir Putin.

"The conversation was very open, detailed, and, I would say, constructive. In any case, I hope that the American side has the same evaluation of the results of our meeting," the Russian head of state said about his meeting with the American president at a press conference following talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday.

"We have an opportunity to continue this dialogue, I think, this is the most important thing," Putin added. The Russian leader noted that he discussed with Biden the issues of security, NATO’s Eastern expansion, including Ukraine, interaction in cyber sphere, and the Iranian issue. "We talked about a number of other issues, about normalizing diplomatic relations and so on. In general, indeed, we talked for a rather long time, in detail about all these subjects," the Russian president said. He noted that the conversation lasted "over two hours" although he didn’t recall the exact time.

It is a topic for another conversation. We agreed that we would continue this discussion and would do it in a substantive way, would exchange our thoughts on the matter in the future," the Russian leader noted.

"Russia will prepare its suggestions within a few days, and within a week, we will hand them to the US side for consideration," Putin said.

"We agreed that a corresponding body will be set up to deal with this professionally."

"We talked in detail about cybersecurity, ensuring security in this sphere and stated that after our meeting in Geneva we managed to advance rather substantially in this direction," Putin said.

According to him, "constructive dialogue has been established, it is underway, corresponding structures have been created." "an information exchange has been established and it is of a positive nature and yields positive results," the Russian president noted.

Russia’s Su-27 Jets Escort French Fighters Over Black Sea

Russia’s Su-27 fighter jets were scrambled to escort two tactical fighter jets - a Mirage 2000 and a Rafale, and a C-135 aerial refueling tanker belonging to the French Air and Space Force over the Black Sea, the National Defense Management Center said on Wednesday.

"The crews of Russian fighter jets identified aerial targets as two tactical fighter jets - a Mirage 2000 and a Rafale, and a C-135 aerial refueling tanker belonging to the French Air and Space Force, and escorted them over the Black Sea. After the foreign warplanes made a U-turn from Russia’s state border, the Russian fighter jets safely returned to their home airfield," the statement said.

There was no unauthorized incursion into Russia’s airspace, the center added.

According to the statement, initially, the air targets approaching Russia’s sovereign airspace had been detected by Russian radars over the neutral waters of the Black Sea. Su-27 fighter jets of the Southern Military District’s air defense units on duty were scrambled to identify the air targets and to prevent a violation of Russia’s border.

"The flights of the Russian fighter jets took place in strict accordance with international rules for airspace use over neutral waters, without crossing flight paths or coming dangerously close to foreign aircraft," Russia’s National Defense Management Center stressed.

Kremlin Views Putin-Biden Video Summit Positively

The Kremlin positively assessed the video format in which the Russia-USA summit took place.

Russia-USA summit took place. According to the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, a special secure communication channel allowed Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to have a frank conversation. 

Taking into account the special responsibility that Moscow and Washington bear for maintaining international stability, the parties intend to continue the dialogue. However, according to Peskov, it is too early to talk about specific dates for the next contacts.

The videoconference between Putin and Biden lasted two hours. Most of the conversation was devoted to Ukrainian issues. The Russian leader gave concrete examples of Kiev's destructive actions, which are aimed at "complete dismantling" of the Minsk agreements. Putin also mentioned Ukrainian initiatives that are increasing pressure on the Russian language.

As for bilateral relations, Moscow offers Washington to nullify all restrictions on the work of diplomatic missions, especially since difficulties on the diplomatic front arose not through Russia's fault.

Another hot topic is NATO's eastward expansion. Putin made it clear that Russia is interested in reliable guarantees that this will not happen.

“Putin said bluntly that we are worried about the buildup of military activity by Ukraine and NATO in the immediate vicinity of the Russian borders. He talked about the recent exercises in the Black Sea, which the exercises were conducted by the national group of the armed forces of NATO. In this regard, of course, he set out our views that we need certain guarantees, including guarantees of a legal nature, that ensure our security,"Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Yuri Ushakov said.

Putin Meets Greece's Prime Minister In Sochi

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin meets with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi.

Lavrov Say Russia Concerns About Kiev's Attempts To provoke Its US-Curators

Russia are very concerned about Kiev’s attempts to provoke its curators, Sergey Lavrov commented on President Zelenskiy's belligerent rhetoric across Donbass on Tuesday.

The Russian minister emphasized the fragmented positions of the officials of the current Ukrainian government, headed by Zelensky.

"They have so many people, so many minds. Any of them can change their opinion several times a day. This is true of President Zelensky and his ministers. Former Deputy Prime Minister and new Defence Minister Alexei Reznikov said yesterday that Ukraine should invite (or has already invited) the Brits, the Americans and the Canadians to the frontline in Donbass. Two hours later he said they would not be invited. Apparently, his seniors told him he had gone too far. This process is described as a stream of consciousness. There are many streams flooding in different directions,"he said.

Peaceful settlement can only be achieved through straight, unequivocal implementation of the Minsk agreements. Everything is written in these agreements and translated into UN languages.

"I am confident that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is familiar with this document although he is trying to interpret it in an unacceptable manner that contradicts the text,"Lavrov added.

During the video negotiations between Putin and Biden, the Russian side clearly explained its approaches to a settlement in Ukraine and the need to force the Kiev regime to fulfill its obligations, which are written in black and white in the Minsk Package of Measures.

Putin Outlines Key Tasks At The Cabinet Meeting

Restraining inflation, increasing incomes of citizens and sustainable economic growth - these goals were outlined by Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday.

The main reason for global inflation is the extremely soft budgetary policy in a number of developed countries.

Rising inflation, which was 8.4 percent as of late November, is the main problem plaguing the economy and consumers. "It is imperative to bring inflation back to the benchmark level of 4 percent in 2022,"he said.

"Among other things, the production and supply of meat, sugar and vegetables should significantly increase in 2022,"Putin noted.

The President stressed that it is necessary to increase the real disposable income of the population not lower than the calculated level, that is, not lower than 2.5 percent.

Finally, It is important to maintain high rates of economic growth going forward.

Putin-Biden Video Summit 2021

At the beginning of the video conference, Putin and Biden greeted each other, with US President expressing his hope for an in-person meeting with the Russian leader in the future. Further talks proceeded behind closed doors.

The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden ended at 20:10 Moscow time; they lasted for slightly over two hours.

The conversation started at about 18:08 Moscow time (10:08 Washington DC). As was reported earlier, the conference agenda included the situation around Ukraine, NATO’s eastward expansion, strategic stability and bilateral issues. Besides, the two leaders planned to touch upon regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

The video conference was organized via a secure video conference line, designed for communication between world leaders, and used for the first time today. Putin contacted his US counterpart from his Sochi residence.

According to a Bloomberg report, Biden intends to discuss the outcome of the talks with the European allies.

The today’s conference is the fifth conversation between Putin and Biden since the latter’s assumption of the presidential office. Previously, the two leaders had three phone calls and met in person in Geneva in June this year. The Geneva summit became the first Russia-US summit since 2018.

Putin Opens 10 New Moscow Metro Stations

Vladimir Putin on Tuesday by video link launched passenger traffic at the new stations of the Big Circle Line (BCL) of the Moscow Metro.

The new section of the Big Circle Line, more than 20 km long, includes ten stations - Terekhovo, Kuntsevskaya, Davydkovo, Aminevskaya, Michurinsky Prospect, Vernadsky Prospect, Novatorskaya, Vorontsovskaya, Zyuzino and Kakhovskaya , which was opened after reconstruction.

What To Expect From Putin Biden Video Summit?

The secure video communication line, which Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden will use for talks on Tuesday was established back during creative relations between the two countries, but it has been idle since, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One on Monday.

"Under the previous administrations, when there still remained at least something creative in our relations, an agreement was achieved to establish a secure video communication line for summit and high-level contacts between the two countries. It has remained idle, but its technical condition was maintained," Peskov said.

He added that in the light of the video-conferencing habit that came into fashion over the past two years a decision was made "to commission this line."

"The more so, since it allows for discussing the most sensitive issues," Peskov said.

Putin and Biden will hold talks by video link on December 7. Earlier, Peskov reported that the Russian leader would be in Sochi at the time.

Tensions around Ukraine can be removed only if Kiev gives up on its ideas to solve the problem of Donbass through the use of force, Peskov said.

"The crisis situation with Ukraine" will be discussed at talks between the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, on December 7, he noted.

"We heard a statement from the US president that he has concrete proposals on Ukraine for the video conference - obviously [proposals] on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis are implied. This is important. I think that President Putin will listen with great attention to these proposals, and it will be possible to understand to which extent they can ease tensions," Peskov said.

"There is only one way to defuse tensions - to understand how to ensure against the possible intentions of Kiev to solve the Donbass problem through force," he added. The spokesman drew attention to "an aggressive and hostile rhetoric coming from Europe’s capital cities" and from Washington on the situation around Ukraine. "We see clearly deliberate leaks in Western, as we say Anglo-Saxon media, which publicize various plans of Russia’s alleged invasion of Ukraine," the spokesman said.

He reiterated that Putin had "an absolutely clearly formulated position" as to the importance of launching talks on the system of guarantees that "cannot be unilateral." "This is a two-way road, clear, but at least this is a concrete initiative," the spokesman stressed.

Modi-Putin New Delhi Summit 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi lasted for 3.5 hours.

The two men discussed bilateral relations, including joint efforts within the G20, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the struggle with terrorism and Afghanistan.

Before the meeting, Putin said that Russia saw India as a great power with a friendly people and thanked Modi for his invitation. The Russian president spoke highly of bilateral cooperation in the economy, investment, energy, high, technology, space and other spheres. Putin stressed Russia’s intention to develop military cooperation with India.

For his part, Modi said that the pandemic had failed to slow down the pace of bilateral relations. He spoke highly of the efforts being exerted by Russia and India to resist the coronavirus infection, be it the testing of vaccines, their production or humanitarian assistance.

It was the first Putin-Modi meeting since 2019. The previous one took place in September 2019 when the Indian prime minister visited Vladivostok. A short while later, in November 2019 the two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Brasilia.

Vladimir Putin has invited Narendra Modi to pay a visit to Russia next year to attend the 22nd annual Russian-Indian summit, according to the joint statement issued after their talks in New Delhi and posted on the Kremlin website on Monday.

"President Vladimir Putin thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the gracious hospitality extended to him and his delegation in New Delhi and invited him to visit Russia next year for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit," the document says.

According to the statement, "the Sides noted with satisfaction the coinciding and similar approaches to their foreign policy priorities and reaffirmed their commitment for further strengthening of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, both in the context of the current bilateral relations and in addressing regional and international issues."

Apart from that, Putin and Modi "expressed their mutual intention to strengthen and expand their bilateral relations for the benefit of the peoples of India and Russia".

Kremlin Reveals Some Details Of Upcoming Talks Between Putin And Biden

The December 7 video conference meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States won’t be broadcast apart from its very start, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, adding that most of the meeting would take place behind closed doors.

"There will be no live broadcast. I think we will show the very beginning of the meeting. The very beginning will be broadcast, the entire meeting will be held behind closed doors," he pointed out.

When asked when the meeting was expected to start, Peskov said: "At about six in the evening [Moscow time]." "We believe that it will be sufficiently extensive and lengthy video conference held via a secured communication channel. We expect it to be a long one," the Russian presidential spokesman noted.

In response to a question about the participation of delegations, Peskov said: "We proceed from the fact that it will be a direct conversation between the two presidents, I can’t say who will be beside President Biden." He added that Putin "contacts the relevant ministers and heads of agencies" in the run-up to all serious negotiations.

"It will be necessary to discuss what is being done to implement the understandings that were achieved in Geneva and to take a look at what is being implemented to the full extent and what requires extra efforts. Of course, this concerns bilateral relations, whose condition remains deplorable." the Kremlin official said.

"Then the presidents will discuss the high-profile issues on the agenda - in the first place, tensions over Ukraine, NATO’s expansion towards our borders and Putin’s security guarantees initiative," Peskov said.

He stressed that security guarantees could not be unilateral. "There can be only mutual guarantees," he remarked.

"President Putin is a politician who insists on mutual respect and equitable bilateral relations," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Peskov said the Kremlin’s press-service would publish a news release following the talks. "We will issue a news release, the way we usually do," the presidential spokesman added. He said that a conference call for the media would be arranged, if necessary, but for the time being it was not on the agenda. Peskov answered in the negative, when asked if Putin was expected to make a statement following the conversation.

Shoigu, Lavrov Remarks At The First 2+2 Russia-India Talks

Dialogue between Russia and India’s foreign and defense ministries is significantly contributing to ensuring global and regional security, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Monday during consultations in the "2+2" format.

"I’m convinced that the dialogue between the foreign policy and defense departments of both countries will make a significant contribution to mutual trust and ensuring global and regional security," Shoigu said.

He noted that the current Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation occupies a special place in relations between both countries and continues to develop steadily.

"Today, within the framework of the 20th anniversary meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission, my colleague, Indian Defense Minister [Rajnath] Singh, and I discussed cooperation in the defense field in a detailed way. We have plans for joint efforts in the future," the Russian minister added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the 2 + 2 format of talks, which brings together the foreign and defense ministers of Russia and India, will prove effective for discussing a wide range of regional and international issues.

"It gives me great pleasure to take part in the first ever 2 + 2 meeting of the heads of defense and foreign ministers," he said. "This initiative has been endorsed by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi."

"And I am sure that the new mechanism will become an effective dialogue platform for discussing a wide range of regional and international issues, will contribute to the enhancement of traditional mutual understanding and the strengthening of the especially privileged type of strategic partnership between our countries," he went on to say.

Lavrov stressed that Russia and India have a similar vision for the world order that’s fairer, more democratic and polycentric. The countries promote identical or similar positions on the most important issues of peace and security, he said. Both countries, the diplomat added, stand for adherence to international law, stronger principles for collective interstate communication, adhere to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states and respect for the world’s cultural and civilizational diversity.

"All this creates a good, solid foundation for productive work as part of the new mechanism of the Russian-Indian dialog that’s being launched today," the Russian foreign minister said.

Lavrov Holds A Bilateral Meeting With India's Jaishankar In New Delhi

Ahead of the Russian-Indian Summit on Monday, Sergei Lavrov held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar  in New Delhi.

Putin Participates In The New Year Tree Of Wishes Event

On Sunday, Vlsdimir Putin part in The New Year Tree of Wishes traditional event.

Putin Discuss Countering The Pandemic With IFRC's President

On Sunday, Vladimir Putin had a meeting, via videoconference, with President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Societies Francesco Rocca.

Pope Francis Apologizes To Orthodox For Mistakes Of Catholics Who Split Christianity

Pope Francis apologizes to the Orthodox for the mistakes of the Catholics who split Christianity.

He made this statement in Greece at a meeting with the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, Jerome II. The final division of the churches into Catholic and Orthodox took place almost a thousand years ago. Speaking about the long and difficult history of relations, the Pope noted that the Vatican was often guided by not Christian feelings at all: "I admit with shame that the decisions of the Catholic Church had nothing to do with Jesus and the Gospel, but were the result of greed and power, our unity was split."

During the visit of the pontiff to Greece, an incident occurred, the local priest shouted "Heretic!" to the Pope. The troublemaker was quickly taken away by the police.

Volunteer Day: Putin Participates In #WeAreTogether Award Ceremony

On the International Volunteer Day, Vladimir Putin participates in the #WeAreTogether award ceremony.

The President presented Luka Krymsky medals to the nominees for the Volunteer of the Year -2021 award: pediatrician Pavel Berezhansky, volunteer physician of the “red zone” Olga Zolotukhina, volunteer physician Vladimir Nikolsky, head of the headquarters of the #WeAreTogether in Kirov region Ekaterina Sadakova.