Opens the door to dialogue taking as a reference the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022
Backs Kamala Harris over Trump, who “imposed more sanctions on Russia than any other US president”
September 5 () –
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that Russian forces will continue to work to expel Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region, a “sacred duty” that Moscow would complement with new advances in the Donbass region, where Ukrainian troops are said to be losing ground to the invaders.
“The sacred duty of our Armed Forces is to do everything to expel the enemy,” stressed Putin, who took advantage of his participation in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok to boast of the alleged progress in Ukraine, where the Russian military is “fighting heroically.”
However, the war spread to Russian territory for the first time a month ago, with an unprecedented incursion by Ukrainian troops into the Kursk region. Although kyiv is already reporting that more than 100 towns have been taken, Putin has declared the situation stable and has even suggested that it is now Russian forces that are regaining ground.
The Russian president has expressed his concern about the situation at the Kursk nuclear power plant and also at Zaporizhia, accusing Ukraine of perpetrating “very dangerous terrorist attacks” that put the security of both facilities at risk.
On the possibility of dialogue with the Ukrainian government, Putin has now claimed that he has “never refused.” However, he has indicated that he will not accept “ephemeral demands” and has set as a condition that negotiations be carried out “on the basis of the agreements reached and registered in Istanbul,” referring to the brief process of dialogue that was attempted in the early stages of the conflict.
In this regard, he has again blamed Kiev for the breakdown of the dialogue, since, according to Putin, in that first attempt “all the parameters of a possible peace agreement” were closed, but the then head of the United Kingdom Government, Boris Johnson, who “ordered” the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to “fight until the last Ukrainian”.
“If they had implemented what we agreed on instead of obeying their masters from other countries, the war would have ended long ago,” Putin was quoted as saying by official news agencies.
Despite this alleged offer, Zelensky has already made it clear that he will not negotiate under any circumstances the transfer of occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia, which Moscow already considers its own, just as he does not want to give up alliances with the EU and, despite Russian misgivings, with NATO.
INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS
Putin said he was “constantly in touch” with international leaders he believes are interested in resolving the conflict, particularly those of Brazil, China and India. He believes they are the ones “who sincerely strive to help resolve all the details of this difficult process.”
However, he has not spoken to any European or US leader “for a long time”, although he has also claimed in this area that it is not because Moscow does not want him to.
On the US presidential election in November, he said he would “respect” any result, but hinted that he was leaning towards the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, since her Republican rival, Donald Trump, “imposed more sanctions on Russia than any other president.”
“If Harris does well, she might refrain from similar actions,” Putin said, noting specifically that his “favorite” was the current president, Joe Biden, and that he therefore “supports” his vice president and replacement in the election campaign. He also believes that Harris’s “expressive” and “infectious” laugh is a sign that “everything is going well for her.”
He also criticised the French authorities for the arrest and prosecution of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, measures that he believes are “hardly understandable” because they are “selective in nature”. “If they do this to Durov,” he added, “they should arrest (…) others as well.”
The Russian president also denied having regular contacts with Durov and claimed that they met once in the Kremlin “a long time ago”, as he might have done with any other businessman.
ENERGY DEPENDENCE
Putin has predicted a faster GDP growth this year than in 2023 and said the unemployment rate is around 2 percent, in an attempt to vindicate Russia’s economic strength in a world he says remains heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels.
He even anticipates that “the global economy would not be able to withstand” a potential blockade of Russian gas and oil, as it would lead to a drastic rise in prices. In fact, he has stated that he is not against Russian gas continuing to flow to Europe through Ukraine.
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