Russia: Putin sets conditions for peace

In his war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited neutral status and demilitarization of the country as conditions for an end to hostilities. “Peace will come when we have achieved our goals,” said the Kremlin chief at his big press conference at the end of the year. One goal is therefore for Ukraine to renounce NATO membership. Observers saw this as an offer to the West asking Ukraine to capitulate in the war.

The question of when the war will end was one of the most frequently asked. At the media spectacle broadcast by state television for more than four hours, during which citizens were also able to ask questions of the president, Putin appeared complacent despite some critical questions.

Before the presidential election in March, in which he plans to run for the fifth time, he once again promised to solve the country’s problems – be it the low pensions, the high egg prices and the often unclear social status of those returning from war or the comparatively high prison sentences for citizens , who have hardly incurred any debt. And to the relief of many women, he spoke out against a ban on abortion.

Signals for cooperation – exchange of prisoners?

When asked questions from Western journalists who had not had access to such events for a long time, the 71-year-old was demonstratively friendly – and signaled his willingness to cooperate. Moscow is prepared, for example, to exchange the Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who were imprisoned for espionage, for Russian prisoners. “These agreements must be acceptable to both sides,” Putin said.

Wall Street Journal correspondent Gershkovich has been in custody since March. The US government and the newspaper reject the espionage allegations against the 32-year-old. In the past, Russia has released serious criminals in this way several times.

Putin emphasized several times that the West had broken off contact with Russia in the wake of the war and was thereby harming itself. However, he himself pointed to the solid economic data from the raw materials power that many in the USA and the EU had not expected. Russia has strengthened its own sovereignty despite pressure from the West.

Putin owes growth to the war economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) will rise by 3.5 percent this year, Putin said. He admitted that inflation, at between 7.5 and 8 percent, was above the target he had set himself. However, the Kremlin boss was optimistic that price increases would be lower next year.

According to Putin, real wages have also risen by eight percent despite inflation. The Russian economy has shown unexpectedly high resilience. He did not mention that the growth was particularly due to the war economy and arms production. Experts repeatedly emphasized that this was not natural or healthy growth.

Kremlin chief wants to win war primarily with volunteers

Putin wants to win the war against Ukraine without a new partial mobilization, which many Russians fear. The number of volunteers in the war will be half a million by the end of the year, with 1,500 being added every day. Putin, however, praised the fact that the 300,000 soldiers drafted after the controversial partial mobilization last year produced excellent results. “You fight excellently.”

According to Putin, the total number of Russian soldiers in the war zone is 617,000. He said nothing about the number of casualties. Ukraine puts the number of Russian casualties – dead and injured – at more than 340,000. Putin continued to bomb Ukraine on Thursday.

Putin held a major press conference for the first time after a break due to the war last year. The question and answer session for journalists was combined as a media spectacle on state television with the TV show “The Direct Wire”, in which citizens can describe their problems, to form the program “Results of the Year”.

Millions of questions for Putin – but only a few answers

It was the first time he spoke in such a TV format since the invasion began on February 24, 2022. There was always criticism, which in most cases Putin smiled away – or joked about. One question asked why Putin’s reality did not match the reality experienced by the Russians.

The question and answer session staged by the state media with hand-picked journalists and citizens is also considered particularly convenient for Putin because hardly any questions are allowed – and the president always has the last word anyway. One young reporter said that he didn’t know the country any differently than when Putin was in power. A pensioner who asked for a solution to the problem with expensive chicken eggs called him “my dearest president.” Putin explained the price jump with high demand and lower supply. But there should be more eggs soon.

What the experts say

The political scientist Tatjana Stanovaya spoke of a “strange” show because Putin otherwise loves the argument with everything, defends the power apparatus and dismisses problems on technical grounds. The spectacle shows that Putin feels safe. “He believes that the people are on his side,” she said. That’s why Putin promised “very little” this time – unlike usual when he distributes cash gifts at the end of the year.

Moscow expert Alexander Kynew said Putin focused on calm and peace and renounced aggression – as a counter-proposal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was asking for help. With a view to the presidential election, the Kremlin’s approach is logical because Putin wants to show that everything is going normally and there is no reason for a radical change of course. The message was that everything was under control in Russia.