Putin’s lengthy news conference addresses economic growth, the Ukraine war, and global issues, primarily focusing on internal matters.
- Putin talks about economic growth and the war in Ukraine
- The long presser is mostly about family problems.
The goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s yearly long news conference and call-in show was to show how much power and control he has over the country’s politics.
The carefully planned event, which is shown live in all 11 time zones in Russia, has usually been about issues in Russia.
Putin began by bragging about how well Russia’s economy was doing and saying that he thought it would grow by almost 4% this year.
He said that even though consumer inflation is high (9.3%), the economy as a whole is still “stable.”
• More than 2 million questions from people
• Journalists hold up signs to get Putin’s attention.
• There are a lot of problems at home, but the war in Ukraine is a big one.
Russia’s military action in Ukraine and rising tensions with the West are likely to be at the center of the conversation in Russia.
Putin has promised that what he calls the “special military operation” will end “victoriously.”
• The killing of a Russian general with ties to the Ukraine war
• Attacks with hypersonic missiles on Ukraine were talked about
• Calls for Ukraine to drop its bid to join NATO were made again
Ukraine says that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed in Moscow in a bold act, which has brought the almost 3-year war back to the streets of the Russian city.
People will pay close attention to what Putin says about possible changes in bargaining positions before the new U.S. government takes office.
The Russian leader could also talk about the fall of Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, to whom he had offered refuge.
Moscow’s military involvement in Syria suffered a setback with the death of Assad, prompting efforts to safeguard political and military assets, as well as to extend leases on air and navy bases.