In a rare wide-ranging press conference with Russia’s leading media, Russian President Vladimir Putin fielded addressed recent statements by Western leaders suggesting that Ukraine should be allowed to strike deep into Russian territory using Western-supplied weapons and other burning issues.
Momentum is building to allow Ukraine to use Nato-supplied weapons to hit targets inside Russia. The list of countries granting permission has grown fast in recent weeks. The latest comments came from a European Union defence minister and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 'We are giving weapons to Kyiv and consider them Ukrainian from this moment, so Ukraine can do whatever it wants with these arms, in part, strike at Russian territory where it deems necessary,' Stoltenberg was quoted as saying.
In a detailed response, Putin implied that Russia could respond to attacks on its territory with nuclear weapons before going on to discuss the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government under martial law.
'The Constitution of Ukraine only extends the powers of the Rada. It says nothing about extending the powers of the president,' he noted. Putin highlighted that according to Article 111 of the Ukrainian Constitution, presidential powers should transfer to the Speaker of Parliament during martial law, and questioned why the current regime has not addressed this legal contradiction.
“Therefore, strictly speaking… the parliament and the Rada Speaker remain the only legitimate power,” Putin said.
He suggested that the Ukrainian leadership, influenced by external powers, might be postponing elections to avoid taking responsibility for unpopular decisions, such as lowering the conscription age. 'Maybe the current bosses of Ukraine, who are overseas, would like to place the burden of making all unpopular decisions on the current executive branch,' Putin speculated.
Regarding Nato's stance on weapon supplies, Putin expressed concern over the potential use of long-range precision weapons against Russian targets. He emphasised that such operations require sophisticated support systems, including space-based reconnaissance and expert targeting. 'This can and does happen without the participation of the Ukrainian military,' he said, implicating Nato countries in direct involvement.
Putin warned European leaders to consider the implications of such escalations, particularly given the dense populations of their countries. 'They should keep in mind that theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into Russian territory,' he said implying that European counties are vulnerable to a nuclear weapons strike, a recuring motif in his recent speeches.
He also criticised Western media coverage, accusing them of ignoring Ukrainian provocations and focusing solely on Russian responses. 'No one is talking about shelling [the Russian border town] Belgorod or other adjacent territories. The only thing they are talking about is Russia opening a new front and attacking Kharkiv,' he said, referencing recent events in the Donbas region.
Addressing US-led sanctions and diplomatic pressures on Central Asian countries, Putin described these actions as 'imperial behaviour' aimed at maintaining American global dominance. He dismissed the effectiveness of such pressure, particularly on nations committed to their sovereignty.
In a broader context, Putin alluded to the potential for a global conflict resulting from ongoing escalations. 'Are they looking for a global conflict? I think they wanted to agree upon strategic arms, but we do not really see them being eager to do so,' he said, casting doubt on Western intentions.
When asked about the possibility of attending a recently proposed Ukraine peace conference in Saudi Arabia, Putin was non-committal. 'We have said that we are ready [to negotiate]. It wasn’t us who stopped the talks,' he remarked, referring to the failed Istanbul peace deal in 2022.
“I am always looking with surprise at some antics of our “friends” and partners that are saying that Russia is rejecting talks. I have said a thousand times but it seems they don’t have ears. No, we are not rejecting talks. Ukraine rejected them in public. They initialled the agreement and rejected it with a view to beating us on the battlefield. They are not succeeding in this. Now they are ready. Well, if you are ready, come back. What’s the problem?” said Putin.
Putin repeated that Russia remains “open to dialogue” but he has made clear that Russia will engage in talks only on its own terms and has no intention of giving back any of the lands it has captured or annexed.
Asked about the proposal for Nato troops to be sent to Ukraine as “instructors,” Putin answered foreign troops are already working with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
“As for the fact that there may be mercenaries in Ukraine, we are well aware of that, there is nothing new about it. The fact that the military in Ukraine are now saying that they [the French] may come is because they have been there for a long time. We hear English, French or Polish on the radio. We know that these mercenaries are there. But there are specialists there under the guise of mercenaries,” said Putin. “There was a question about long-range precision weapons. And who controls and maintains these weapons? Of course, the same instructors who are disguised as mercenaries.”
Throughout his remarks, Putin maintained that the root cause of the conflict lies in the external manipulation of Ukraine's government, urging for a resolution that genuinely considers the interests of the Ukrainian people. 'The current rulers of Ukraine do not feel sorry for these people. They do not consider them their own people,' he concluded, underscoring the tragic consequences of the ongoing strife.
On his symbolic visit to Tashkent to cement closer ties with Uzbekistan, Putin was upbeat and complained by US interference in what has long been seen as Russia’s backyard.
Earlier this year US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron travelled to Central Asia to apply pressure to exclude all the possibilities and prospects for cooperation with Russia.
“There is nothing new about it. I mean the diplomats flying all around the world, be it Latin America, or Africa or the East, threatening everybody. These are elements of imperial behaviour,” said Putin before moving on to criticise the threats to China made by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a recent trip to Beijing.
“Quite recently, the Secretary of the Treasury, I believe, also visited China… She said the Chinese produce too many cars. They talked about overproduction of cars,” Putin said. “What is overproduction? If we live in the market conditions, the market regulates whether this is overproduction or not. If people buy products and they are produced with a profit, there is no overproduction. And how else do you force another country to stop the production of different goods? By using force? Sanctions? And this is one of the variants of using force, and this is how they are trying to act all over the world.”
