Putin Fulfills Dream Of 7-Year-Old Yegor Ride On T-90

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin fulfilled the dream of 7-year-old Yegor Fomenko to ride a tank as part of the New Year Tree of Wishes national campaign.

Putin Reveals Fraudulent Scheme For Resale Of Gazprom’s Gas By European Operators

European buyers are reselling gas they receive from Gazprom under long-term contracts at spot prices, which are up to 7 times higher than contract prices, Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference on Thursday.

He noted that there is every reason to believe that, in particular, such deliveries are being organized for Ukraine from Germany through Poland.

"They switched this route (Yamal-Europe) to reverse mode, that is, from Germany to Poland. And they have been pumping [gas] from Germany to Poland for several days. Why? Simply because we supply gas to Germany under long-term contracts that are four, six, and seven times cheaper than on spot [market]," the head of state noted.

According to him, the resale of 1 billion cubic meters of gas can pull in about $900 million.

The Russian leader stressed that consumers in Europe and Germany need to know what's going on. "I have every reason to believe that this gas will eventually go to Ukraine," President Putin explained. He advised European consumers to contact their respective officials for clarification.

The head of state recalled that there is a connection between the Polish gas pipeline system and the Ukrainian one, which makes it possible to pump about 3 million cubic meters of gas per day. And it is this amount that is now being pumped in reverse from Germany to Poland.

"Instead of pumping [gas] to Poland and then to Ukraine, helping somebody not to lose their pants, it would be better to continue supplies to Europe, in particular to Germany, and influence the price on the spot market. Because the larger the product’s volume is on the market, the lower the price will be. But they started reverse-pumping, and that’s the problem. So, what does Gazprom have to do with it?" Putin asked.

"They shouldn’t think that they are so smart and assume that God is not watching them. The problems they created for themselves should be solved by them alone. And we are ready to help them. We are doing this. It seems to me that I have convincingly shown this now," he stressed.

Putin Answers BBC's Question About Navalny, Foreign Agents Law, Power

Over centuries, Russia’s opponents have been saying that this country is impossible to conquer and can only be destroyed from within, Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference on Thursday.

"I would like to reiterate what our opponents have been saying for centuries: Russia is impossible to conquer, it can only be destroyed from within. Which was successfully done during World War One, to be more precise, as a result of it, and also in the 1990s when the Soviet Union was destroyed," the head of state said in response to a question by a BBC reporter.

According to Putin, this was done by those who "served other, foreign interests not related to the interests of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation."

Western countries have given no evidence to prove allegations about Russian blogger Alexey Navalny’s possible poisoning, Putin said.

"You speak about a man who was allegedly poisoned. We have issued numerous official inquiries from the Russian prosecutor’s office asking for any documents proving the poisoning. Not a single paper, not a single evidence of this Novichok, or whatever you call it," he said

According to the Russian leader, Moscow suggested sending Russian specialists "there to work together." "I personally told the French president and the German chancellor: Let our specialists work, let us take sample, check grounds to open a criminal case. Nothing in response. Nothing," he said, describing the contacts on this matter.

"Stop talking about it. Let us turn over this page, if you have nothing to tell us," he noted.

Alexey Navalny was rushed to a local hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on August 20, 2020, after collapsing on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk. He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. On August 22, he was airlifted to Berlin and admitted to the Charite hospital. On September 2, the German government claimed that the blogger had been affected by a toxic agent belonging to the Novichok family. Russia’s authorities pointed out that no poisonous substances had been detected in Navalny’s system prior to his transfer to Berlin and repeatedly expressed readiness for all-round cooperation to investigate this case.

The amount of organizations designated as foreign agents in Russia is the same as in the United States, but the punishment for those who violate it is lighter, Putin pointed.

"A total of 74 organizations out of 200,000 NGOs have been labeled as foreign agents here, that’s 0.034%, the same as in the US, but there aren’t any tough regulations [here] like those in the US, which particularly include criminal responsibility," he highlighted.

"If you don’t stop your activities there [in the US], you may face criminal prosecution and up to five years in prison. It can happen even when you end your activities and shut down your organization, you can’t escape criminal responsibility. [You’d face a] five-year term. We don’t have anything like that here. We don’t ban the activities of such organizations. We only want the organizations involved in domestic political activities to clearly state what their sources of funding are. That’s all. And they can continue their work. Our law is far more liberal," Putin emphasized. He added, however, that there were some issues with the law, particularly related to the understanding of the notion of "political activities" and rules regulating this work.

And in the end, the choice of the organization of society and the state will be determined by the Russian people, and not by those whom you serve today, Putin ansvered to BBC correspondent.

Lavrov Reacts To NATO's Stoltenberg Arrogant Statements

If Mr Stoltenberg thinks that NATO members can brush off this principle, which has been formalised in the documents signed at the top level, he should indeed look for a new job, because he is clearly underperforming in his current position, Sergey Lavrov said during interview with RT television channel on Wednesday.

"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regularly makes inadequate statements. He is planning to leave this post soon, though. His term will expire at the end of the year. The rumour is that he will become Norway’s next central bank governor (or at least he is applying for this post). A central bank governor must clearly and precisely comply with the organisation’s fundamental operating principles. European and Euro-Atlantic security is based on several principles that were coordinated and signed at the top level in the form of political commitments, including the fundamental principle of equal and indivisible security. According to it, as the heads of state and government agreed explicitly, no single state or group of states in the Euro-Atlantic region and the OSCE space will strengthen its security by infringing on the security of others,"he added.

Shoigu Reports On Real NATO's Threats Near Russia's Borders

Tensions are growing on the western and eastern borders of Russia, Sergei Shoigu said at the annual expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board on Tuesday.

"The deterioration of the military-political situation in the world continues,"he added.

The United States is intensifying its military presence at Russian borders. In the countries of Eastern Europe, American units with a total strength of about 8,000 troops are deployed on a rotational basis. In the grouping of US forces on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, the command of fire destruction in the theater has been recreated. Until 1991, it was responsible for the use of medium-range missiles.

Multi-sphere brigade was formed, which is planned to be armed with various systems of strike missile weapons.

In Poland, an infrastructure is being created to accommodate the US armored brigade, and the Aegis Ashore anti-missile system is nearing completion. In Romania, a similar missile defence facility is already on combat alert duty.

The deployment of the Pacific segment of the American global missile defence system continues. To conduct operations and control ocean communications in the North Atlantic and Arctic in Norfolk, a joint command of the NATO Joint Armed Forces was created.

The United States and NATO are purposefully increasing the scale and intensity of military training activities near Russia. Increasingly, they involve strategic aviation, carrying out simulated launches of nuclear missiles at our facilities. The number of their flights near the Russian borders has more than doubled.

NATO pays special attention to the issues of the transfer of troops to the eastern flank of the alliance, including from the continental part of the United States. The exercises are practicing various options for using coalition groups against Russia with the use of non-aligned states - Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The desire of the North Atlantic Alliance to involve the Ukrainian armed forces in its military activities poses a threat to security, taking into account the attempts of Kiev to solve the problem of Donbass by force.

The military development of the territory of Ukraine by NATO countries continues. The situation is aggravated by the supply of the United States and its allies with helicopters, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and ATGMs.

The presence of more than 120 employees of American PMCs in Avdeevka and Priazovskoe settlements in Donetsk region has been reliably established. They equip firing positions in residential buildings and at socially significant facilities, prepare Ukrainian special operations forces and radical armed groups for active hostilities.

To commit provocations, tanks with unidentified chemical components were delivered to Avdeevka and Krasny Liman cities.

The number of attacks by Ukrainian servicemen on peaceful areas of Donbass and the positions of the people's militia of the LPR and DPR is not decreasing, provoking them to retaliate.

The destabilization of the situation in Afghanistan creates the risks of exporting terrorism and drugs to the territory of the CSTO states.

"We closely monitor the situation and promptly respond to all threats to military security,"Shoigu stressed.

Putin Sets 5 Tasks For Russia's Armed Forces In 2022

In 2022, Russian Armed Forces will have to focus on five main tasks, Vladimir Putin said at the annual expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board on Tuesday.

"It is important to continue planned, steady, systemic development of the Armed Forces, including in line with their priorities, set forth in the latest version of the National Security Strategy and the Concept for Building and Developing the Armed Forces through to 2030,"he added.

First, it is necessary to continue the planned and well-balanced procurement of modern weapons and equipment for military units and to devote special attention to deliveries of high-precision systems, cutting-edge reconnaissance, navigation, communications and control systems.

Second, combat and tactical training programmes should prioritise efforts to master modern weaponry, as well as new forms and methods of combat operations. In this connection, combat training programmes should be modified, so that they can be taken into account during exercises next year, including the Vostok 2022 strategic command post exercise.

Third, all-out success in many spheres now directly depends on well-thought-out and rapid decision-making. In the military sphere, during combat operations, decisions are made in minutes or even seconds. It is therefore necessary to develop systems to support the decision-making process by commanders at all levels, especially at the tactical level, and to introduce elements of artificial intelligence into these systems.

Fourth, it goes without saying that effective operational algorithms should be established at all levels, and advanced automatic systems should also be introduced. At the same time, we can see that modern military conflicts do not take place under pre-set patterns. As before, commanders play a key role in these conflicts. A lot depends on their knowledge, experience, personal qualities, and those who make truly unconventional decisions win battles. Consequently, during operational and combat training, it is necessary to train versatile commanders who possess knowledge in all fields. They should be listed in the personnel pool of top military commanders, and it is necessary to keep an eye on them even now, to guide them and to provide them with opportunities for subsequent promotion.

Finally, here is the fifth aspect. Given the complicated international situation, it is necessary to develop military and military-technical cooperation with states that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and to pay special attention to strengthening the defence capability of the Russia-Belarus Union State.

Putin Joins Video Linkup Ceremony Of Delivering Latest Nuclear Subs To To Russian Navy

Vladimir Putin gave the start via a video linkup to the ceremony of raising the naval flags aboard the latest nuclear-powered submarines Knyaz Oleg and Novosibirsk during the Defense Ministry’s enlarged board meeting on Tuesday.

The ceremony of hoisting the naval flags aboard the improved Project 955A (Borei-A) first serial-built strategic nuclear-powered underwater cruiser Knyaz Oleg and the Project 885M (Yasen-M) first serial-built nuclear-powered sub Novosibirsk was held in Severodvinsk in Russia’s northwest. Putin watched the ceremony via a video linkup while Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov and Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko were present at the subs’ launch site.

"Today the naval flags are being hoisted aboard the nuclear-powered submarines Knyaz Oleg and Novosibirsk and the new missile-carrying submarines are entering service with the Navy," the head of state said.

The Russian leader thanked the workforce of the Sevmash Shipyard where the two cutting-edge nuclear-powered subs had been built. Putin called the submarines’ armaments "a formidable strike force" and specified that the sub Knyaz Oleg was furnished with Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles while the multi-purpose underwater cruiser Novosibirsk carried Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles and was capable of both fighting naval targets effectively and delivering precision strikes against ground facilities.

The nuclear-powered subs Knyaz Oleg and Novosibirsk will soon join the Russian Pacific Fleet, "substantially boost its combat potential, provide Russia’s security and reliably defend its national interests in the World Ocean," the Russian president stressed.

As the Russian president said, the construction of submarines of the 885M and 955A series will continue and the Sevmash Shipyard will build and deliver another five Borei-A and six Yasen-M nuclear-powered underwater cruisers to the Navy.

"We will be ramping up the pace of upgrading the Navy and will be building up advanced surface ships and underwater vessels of various projects and classes and simultaneously developing coastal defense infrastructure and, of course, enhancing military personnel’s social guarantees and raising the prestige of military professions," Putin said.

The Russian leader cited the example of Captain First Rank Maksim Shpirko, the Novosibirsk underwater missile cruiser commander, in whose family seven members served in the Navy in various years and all of them were officers. As the head of state said, this a true example of keeping the Navy’s glorious traditions, devotion and faithfulness to the Fleet and the Motherland.

The Knyaz Oleg is the first serial-built strategic missile submarine cruiser of the modernized Project 955A (code Borei-A). It was laid down on July 27, 2014 and floated out on July 16, 2020. As part of state trials, the nuclear-powered sub successfully test-fired a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from the White Sea against the Kura proving ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula on October 21, 2021. Compared to the baseline Borei series, Borei-A subs feature better acoustic stealth, maneuvering and deep-sea running capabilities and an improved armament control system.

Out of 10 subs targeted for construction (three Borei and 7 Borei-A submarines), five underwater cruisers have been built (with four of them operational in the Russian Navy) and another five are under construction. Each sub carries 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Novosibirsk is the first serial-built nuclear submarine of Project 885M (code Yasen-M), laid down on July 26, 2013 and floated out on December 25, 2019. Seven Project 885M submarines are at various stages of their construction at the Sevmash Shipyard in Russia’s northwest. The seventh and eighth hulls of the nuclear-powered submarines of this Project, the Voronezh and the Vladivostok, were laid down on July 20, 2020. The Project Yasen-M lead submarine Kazan was delivered to the Russian Navy on May 7, 2021. The Severodvinsk, which is the Project 885 (Yasen) lead and sole underwater cruiser, was delivered to the Russian Navy on June 17, 2014. Project 885/885M submarines are armed with Kalibr-PL and Oniks cruise missiles as their basic strike weapons.

Putin Fulfills Dream Of 14-Year-Old Mark As Part Of New Year Tree Of Wishes

OnTuesday, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with 14-year-old Mark Koblenev from the Moscow Region, a participant in the New Year Tree of Wishes national campaign.

The President, who is taking part in the campaign for the fourth time this year, made Mark’s New Year wish come true and gave him a guitar.

Apart from the musical instrument and a guitar training course the boy received, Mark and his mother got to visit the Igor Krutoy Academy. After touring the academy, Mark attended a tutorial organised by composer and Distinguished Artist of Russia Viktor Zinchuk.

The boy shared his impressions of the visit during his telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin and discussed his first guitar lesson.

Earlier, the President fulfilled the wish of 13-year-old Tanya from the Stavropol Territory: the girl saw the ballet Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theatre.

This good tradition is already three years old. The all-Russian campaign "NY Wish Tree" was launched by Vladimir Putin. Anyone can make a gift to orphans, toddlers or elderly people with a serious illness. The head of the Central Election Commission, the Speaker of the Federation Council and deputies of the State Duma have already joined the action this year.

Putin Warns 'Russia Ready To Take Military Technical Measures To Counter NATO Expansion'

Draft agreements on security guarantees proposed by Russia are not an ultimatum as ill-wishers call it, Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"Everybody is discussing them now. Certainly, this is discussed by the armed forces in the first instance - drafts of our treaties and agreements sent to leaders of the United States and NATO on strategic stability support issues," the head of state said.

"We already see that some of our ill-wishers, let me say directly, are interpreting them [drafts] as an ultimatum from the Russian side. Is it an ultimatum or not? Certainly not," Putin noted.

The President recalled the US’ actions in prior years, when they supported their alleged interests and their alleged security thousand miles away from their national territory. "They did the toughest and the most blatant things without any sanction from the US Security Council," the Russian leader added.

Russia is ready to take military-technical measures, if NATO expands close to its borders, Putin said. "In case of clearly aggressive policy continued by Western colleagues, we will take adequate military-technical measures and respond toughly to unfriendly steps," the Russian president warned.

As Putin stressed, Russia "has the full right" to measures intended to ensure its security and sovereignty.

As the Russian president emphasized, Moscow does not demand any special exclusive terms for itself. "Russia stands for equal and indivisible security in the entire Eurasian space," Putin said.

Russia calls for resolving disputes by political means, Putin said.

"Armed conflicts and bloodshed are not our choices, absolutely. We do not wish this march of events.

We wish to address issues by political and diplomatic means, provided we have clear and well-formulated legal guarantees," Putin said at the Defense Ministry’s board meeting.

He pointed out that this was the gist of Russia’s proposals for security guarantees, addressed to the United States and NATO.

RT's Simonyan: 'Tough Proposals On Russia's Security Guarantees Are An Ultimatum To NATO'

Tough proposals on security guarantees for Russia are a real ultimatum to NATO and the United States, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said on Russia 1 TV show 60 minutes.

"On the basis of what we see and know, and also on the basis of what we do not know, because I believe that a significant part of such information constitutes a state secret. so, if Russia has become so strong that it can do this (and we know that our President is a very cautious person, and he always measures his actions against his own strengths and capabilities, then this is very cool! This is very good news. And I congratulate our dear fellow citizens on this!"she added.

Putin Instructs Promsvyazbank To Support Defense Industry In Diversification

Necessary to prop up defence industry enterprises when resolving diversification issues, Vladimir Putin said at the working meeting with Promsvyazbank CEO Petr Fradkov on Monday.

Moscow Expects Clear US Response On Russia's Security Guarantees

Russia believes that the United States understands the seriousness of the situation in the security sphere and the necessity of taking steps on the basis suggested by Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.

"We believe that our American colleagues are fully aware that the situation is quite difficult and tense and that a responsible approach is needed," he said. "It is necessary to act on the platform, on the basis we have suggested in line with President [Vladimir] Putin’s instructions."

"We expressed the hope that as part of the implementation of the Russian president’s instructions we will be able to evoke a clear response from the West, first of all from the United States, and begin the process of elaborating legally binding guarantees of Russia’s security in the format of two agreements, which are interlinked and cannot be, so to say, torn apart into fragments, elements," he said.

On December 17, the Russian foreign ministry released two Russian draft agreements in security guarantees from the United States and NATO.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on NATO to begin substantive talks on reliable long-term security guarantees to Russia. He stressed that Russia needs legally binding guarantees because the West has failed to fulfill its verbal commitments.

According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov Ushakov told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that Moscow was ready to begin talks on draft documents on security guarantees. Russia will be represented at these talks by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

Putin Thanks Russian Special Agencies’ Officers For Preventing Terrorist Attacks

Russia’s security agencies managed to achieve a decline in the terrorist threat, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that 32 terrorist attacks have been prevented over an 11-month period this year.

"Over recent years, there are significant progress and positive dynamics in this challenging, extremely responsible area [the fight against terrorism]. There has been a dramatic decline in the terrorist threat," the Russian head of state said in a video statement on the occasion of the Security Agency Worker Day.

According to Putin, "over the past eleven years, more than 200 terrorist attacks have been foiled, the number of terrorist crimes has decreased dramatically over this period." "The vast majority of such crimes are nipped in the bud," he added. "Over an 11 month-period this year, 61 crimes have been prevented, including 32 terrorist attacks, thanks to your effectiveness and coordination. This is a good result, but there are still many issues," the Russian president addressed the employees of the security agencies.

Putin said that the fight against terrorism should be tough and uncompromising. "At present, there is a challenging international situation. The nature and scale of current challenges and risks make higher demands on the work of special services. First of all, a tough and uncompromising fight against terrorism is your main, priority task," the president stressed.

Putin said that the fight against terrorism should be tough and uncompromising.

"At present, there is a challenging international situation. The nature and scale of current challenges and risks make higher demands on the work of special services," he noted.

"First of all, a tough and uncompromising fight against terrorism is your main, priority task," Putin addressed employees of the special services.

Everything Will Be As Usual: 'Peskov shut up' And Putin Himself Will Continue His Press Conference

Talking about Putin's upcoming annual press conference, which will take place next Thursday, December 23, Dmitry Peskov joked that everything will be as usual: "I will start holding a press conference, then Putin will tell me to shut up, and President himself will continue to conduct it."

Peskov's Remarks About Navalny's Pardon & Khodorkovsky's Futile Efforts To Rock Russia

Possible issue of Navalny’s pardon to be decided on legal basis, and, Khodorkovsky spares no expense to rock Russia, but fails, Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RTVI's Tina Kandelaki on Friday.

The issue of pardoning convicted blogger Alexey Navalny, if it emerges, will be resolved according to legal procedures.

"Listen, I don’t know," he said in response to a question on the possibility of Navalny’s pardon and his future life abroad. "This is the prerogative of a convict serving time, the commission, first at a colony, then in the region, then the central one, then the head of state. There is a certain order defined by the law: the convict submits a petition, he says that he admits guilt, which guilt he admits, and then it follows a chain [of events], the way the law prescribes it," the Kremlin official explained.

Navalny, who received two suspended sentences over the Yves Rocher case, was declared wanted for numerous violations of the terms of his suspended sentence. On January 17, he was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport having arrived from Berlin. On February 2, Moscow’s Simonovsky District Court converted Alexey Navalny’s suspended sentence to 3 years and 6 months in a medium-security prison.

Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky violated many agreements and spares no expense to rock Russia, but he will fail due to his complete lack of understanding of the situation in the country, Peskov said.

"He violated many agreements. He was pardoned earlier than he was supposed to be released [from prison]. He does not spare his own money to rock our country, and, probably, will continue doing it. But he is not too successful, because he is spiritually, situationally, informationally, and on the gut feeling level is completely separated from Russia," the spokesman said, answering a question why Khodorkovsky is not on agenda.

This man does not realize what is happening in Russia, Peskov claimed.

Peskov: 'Ukraine Completely Lost For Russia As partner And Ally'

Ukraine is completely lost for Russia as a partner and ally, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"Have we lost Ukraine as a partner, ally and so on? At this point, yes, completely," he said in an interview with RTVI. In this context, he noted "the Ukrainian authorities’ hostility toward Russia."

According to the Kremlin spokesman, the Ukrainian authorities are doing their utmost "to cut the cord linking it to Russia in any way." "They are simply cutting everything, from the capillary vessels to the central arteries of our bilateral relations. They have already cut them, to be more precise. That is why we have no relations as such," he said, adding that Russians and Ukrainians will nevertheless remain brotherly nations. "A brotherly people cannot be lost, it will always be a brotherly people," he said. "Yes, [Ukraine’s] authorities may keep on trying to cheat on their people, to imbue them with hatred for Russians, for Russia, to strip them of the chance to get first-hand information from our mass media. They can ban our mass media, ban our internet websites, but the two brotherly people cannot lose one another."

The Kremlin spokesman noted that Ukraine "is declaring its intention to join NATO openly, officially, actually at a legislative level." "It is very bad for us because this way NATO’s military infrastructure will inevitably begin drifting toward our borders. Without [Ukraine’s] membership in NATO, we now see how the alliance is gradually beginning to absorb, intrude into Ukraine," he said.

NATO began with supplies of defensive weapons, then it began to supply offensive weapons, then - double-use weapons, then it began to send instructors who teach Ukrainian soldiers how to use these advanced weapons.

"NATO’s creeping intrusion into Ukraine is already taking place and Russia cannot stay indifferent to it. That is why Putin’s position is quite tough on the one hand and coherent and peaceful on the other. His initiative to agree to some binding security guarantees is a very constructive proposal, which can fence us off from the tension which has emerged on the European continent over the Ukrainian problem," Peskov said.

He noted that "rhetoric, which seemed like it would never return: detente and the like, is now being used again." "We thought that it was lest in the Cold War era and will never be back. And here it is again," he added.

Peskov Says Putin And Biden Not Friends But Speak In Mutually Respectful Tone

Talks between Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, are held in an atmosphere of mutual respect rather than in a friendly atmosphere, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"I did not say ‘friendly tone.' It was a mutually respectful, constructive and business-like tone. They are not friends. After all, they haven’t had many contacts yet," he said in an interview with RTVI.

He recalled that Putin and Biden had seen each other when Putin was Russia’s prime minister. "Back then, they had a meeting at the White House, at various international events, but they haven’t had many opportunities to speak to each other," he noted.

According to Peskov, contacts between the leaders of great powers cannot but be mutually respectful, but the leaders may not always agree with each other. "Here, we can state a very serious gap in the conceptual approaches on issues of paramount importance. Putin spoke about red lines and our national interests. Biden, in turn, spoke about his unpreparedness to recognize red lines. But the atmosphere was business-like and respectful," he said, adding that no more differences emerged between the sides but they "fixed them to the extent that they had already been."

The Kremlin spokesman noted that Putin feels equally comfortable with everyone he speaks with thanks to his expertise in international affairs and a vast record of contacts with world leaders. However, Peskov refuted allegations that there were hopes for an improvement in relations between the two countries under the United States’ previous president, Donald Trump. "Such expectations were cherished by anyone but professionals. Don’t forget that under Biden we maintain various communications channels and there was no communication under Trump. It was actually frozen," Peskov explained.

"It should be borne in mind that Trump is not a professional politician. It is a kind of phenomenon that broke into the United States’ politics, made a lot of fuss and quit politics. Biden is a professional politician who has gone through all the difficulties of American politics, from the very bottom to the very top. So, his expertise and professionalism cannot be overestimated. At least, I can say that it is comfortable for Putin and Biden to speak with each other because they get their positions across to each other, speak about the problem and give a clear answer - either ‘yes’ or ‘no,’" the Kremlin spokesman stressed.

Putin Says Sanctions Turn Into Tool Of Competitive Struggle

Sanctions have turned into a tool of competitive practices, Vladimir Putin said on Friday at the meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

"The same refers to various restrictions of political nature, the so-called sanctions. Indeed, something may occur initially as a political tool but we see now that often this is simply a tool of competitive struggle," Putin said.

Russia will respond to attempts of dominating the environmental topics to achieve competitive advantages, the President said. "All such aspirations related to the attempt of harnessing the environmental topics for achievement of competitive advantages should encounter a certain response from our side. And we will definitely do that," Putin added.

Putin Urges Russians Not To Forget About Anti Covid Measures After First New Year's Toast

You know how it happens: after the first toast, everyone forgets about any precautions. However, this is not the case today. You need to carefully look at these [anti covid] recommendations and do everything in order to comply with them, Vladimir Putin said on Friday at the meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

President Putin Greets 30th RSPP Congress

Vladimir Putin greeted all the participants in the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on Friday.

"I would like to congratulate the RSPP on the anniversary. this year your highly respected organisation which united the country’s biggest, leading companies and enterprises, celebrates its 30th anniversary,"he said.

Thise years was a complicated, difficult period in the development of new social relations, a period of “moving into adulthood” of the domestic market economy – the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs has earned a reputation of a reliable partner of all branches of government and all civil society institutions.

Russia Ready To Begin Talks On Security Guarantees With US Immediately

Russia is ready to begin talks on security guarantees with the United States immediately and suggests Geneva as a venue for such talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday.

"As for us, we are ready to begin talks with the United States in a third country immediately, literally already tomorrow, on Saturday, December 18. We have already offered the Americans to meet in Geneva to launch these important talks on the basis, on the platform of the two draft documents we have, which we plan to promote while waiting for a constructive response from the United States," he said.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian foreign ministry released two Russian draft agreements in security guarantees from the United States and NATO.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on NATO to begin substantive talks on reliable long-term security guarantees to Russia. He stressed that Russia needs legally binding guarantees because the West has failed to fulfill its verbal commitments.

According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov Ushakov told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that Moscow was ready to begin talks on draft documents on security guarantees. Russia will be represented at these talks by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

Putin Visits ASI Exhibition Of New Promising Projects

Vladimir Putin visited an exhibition presenting new projects of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) on Thursday.

It was created at the suggestion of Vladimir Putin to support promising ideas for the work of medium-sized businesses, improve the business climate, develop young managers and work in the social sphere. Then the head of state chaired a meeting of the Agency's supervisory board.

Putin's Meeting With Mongolia's Counterpart In The Kremlin

Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with the President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, who arrived in Russia on a working visit on Thursday.

Zakharova Сalls West’s Actions Towards Assange ‘Cannibalism’

The Western countries’ actions towards the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, are aimed at "annihilating" him, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Wednesday.

"The actions taken by our Western partners over the past few years smack of cannibalism. All this is not about some double standards or defiance of lofty principles and ideals. It’s about the annihilation of an individual, revenge for his stance, for his courage and for the fact that he deemed it necessary, apparently aware of the potential risks, to share with the world some crucial information that shed light on the lies and deceit committed by a number of states," she said.

Zakharova expressed surprise that the international community’s reaction to the inhuman treatment of Assange was so slack.

"Everybody can see that this man is being annihilated. He looks like two different people. Everybody can see his current condition, not to mention the campaign of victimization the champions of democracy have organized against him."

Assange has been in custody in London’s Belmarsh Prison since April 2019, after the embassy of Ecuador revoked his asylum, which he had enjoyed for seven years. In January, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court refused to extradite Assange to the United States where he faces 18 criminal charges, but at the same time ruled that he should stay in custody until the US appeal has been considered. On December 10, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales upheld the US Department of Justice’s appeal filed in the case of the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the US.

In the United States, Assange is charged with a number of offenses in connection with the largest disclosure of classified information in US history. If convicted on all counts, he may be handed a 175-year prison term.

Putin Fulfills The Dream Of A 13-Year-Old Sick Girl

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with 13-year-old Tatyana Trotsenko from the Stavropol Territory, who attended a performance of the ballet Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theatre.

On December 5, while attending the International Volunteer Forum, the President joined the New Year Tree of Wishes national campaign for the fourth time. Vladimir Putin fulfilled the dream of 13-year-old Tanya from the town of Izobilny, Stavropol Territory, who is currently undergoing treatment in St Petersburg.

The girl was taken on a guided tour of the Mariinsky Theatre, after which she watched a ballet, Swan Lake. She also talked to the cast.

In addition, the President suggested that the girl and her parents see the Swan Lake ice show in Moscow.

Vladimir Putin ended the conversation by wishing Tanya a happy New Year, good health and high spirits.

Putin-Xi Virtual Summit 'A Sample Of Genuine Interstate Cooperation In 21st Century'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a virtual summit on Wednesday. The conversation began at 11:07 Moscow time and lasted a little over an hour - to 12:21 MSC.

At the beginning of the virtual summit, Putin waved his hand as a welcoming gesture and referred to Xi Jinping as his "dear friend". The Chinese leader responded with the same gesture and a broad smile.

Putin noted that current meeting "makes it possible to discuss the development of Russian-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership."

The President described the relations between Moscow and Beijing as "a sample of genuine interstate cooperation in the 21st century." According to him, a new model of interaction has been shaped between two countries "based among other things on such principles, specifically, as non-interference in domestic affairs and respect for one another’s interests, determination to turn the shared border into a belt of everlasting peace and good neighborliness." Putin added that the close coordination between Russia and China on the global stage and a responsible joint approach to solving relevant world issues has become a tangible factor of stability in international relations.

Putin also stressed that Moscow and Beijing have consistently supported each other over international sports cooperation, including the non-acceptance of any attempts to politicize sports or the Olympic movement. He was confident that the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing would be held at the highest level as "China knows how to do it."

The Russian leader hoped that next February he would finally be able to meet with Xi Jinping in person in Beijing, where they are scheduled to hold negotiations, and then take part in the opening ceremony of 2022 Winter Olympics. He thanked his Chinese counterpart for the invitation to visit such a symbolic event." Xi Jinping responded that he looked forward to "the Olympic meeting" with Putin.

Putin: 'When West Creates A Real Hypersonic Weapon, Russia Will Already Have An Antidote'

I think that we will be able to "pleasantly surprise" our "partners" when they have this [hypersonic] weapon, (with a high degree of probability), we will already have a means of dealing with this weapon, Vladimir Putin said in an interview for a documentary entitled "Russia: Its Recent History" aired on the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

Putin: "Only Heartless Does Not Regret USSR Collapse & Only Headless Wants To Recreate It'

Vladimir Putin said what he thinks about the collapse of the Soviet Union during interview for a documentary entitled "Russia: Its Recent History" aired on the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

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.