On Thursday, Vladimir Putin answered carefully selected questions from Russian citizens and journalists on state television. During the media spectacle, Putin, who portrayed himself as a problem solver, declared that no further recruitment was needed for the war in Ukraine. The 300,000 soldiers who were called up last year ‘fought excellently’.
The controversial partial mobilization caused a lot of uncertainty among the Russian population last year. But their combat mission yielded “excellent results,” the 71-year-old Kremlin leader said, without mentioning the high number of casualties. Currently, about 1,500 people volunteer every day, and by the end of the year the number of volunteer contract soldiers will reach about half a million. According to Putin, the total number of Russian soldiers in the war zone is 617,000.
Putin views all his previous objectives in his war against Ukraine as still in effect. The condition for peace is Ukraine’s neutral status, i.e. the withdrawal of NATO membership and the demilitarization of the neighboring country.
“Peace comes when we have achieved our goals”
Observers saw this as an offer to the West to ask Ukraine to capitulate in the war. “Peace will come when we achieve our goals,” Putin said.
Putin again spoke about the goal of ‘denazification’ of Ukraine. As examples, he cited veneration for Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and the case of a Ukrainian who fought on the Nazi side in World War II and received a standing ovation in the Canadian parliament in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Speaker of Parliament in Canada was then forced to resign.
Apparently one and a half million questions have been submitted
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, more than one and a half million questions had been submitted ahead of the event, which was broadcast on Thursday morning on the TV program “The Direct Wire”. The Kremlin also invited only hand-picked media representatives.
Putin presents himself as a problem solver
Putin, who has led the country for more than a quarter of a century, repeatedly uses the format to portray himself as a caretaker and problem solver. It was the first time since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine that Putin spoke in such a TV format.
The Kremlin leader wants to be elected president for the fifth time on March 17. For this purpose he had the constitution amended, which previously contained term limits.
Source: Krone
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