About Merkel
Putin said that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s remarks that the Minsk agreements were signed to “buy valuable time and strengthen” Ukraine questioned possible trust between Russia and the West.
“This is disappointing. Frankly, I didn’t expect to hear that from the former Federal Chancellor. Because I always assumed that the FRG leadership was sincere with us. Now, of course, there is the issue of trust. And therefore, trust, of course, is almost zero, but after such statements, of course, the question arises: how to negotiate something? And is it possible to negotiate with someone? And where are the guarantees? Of course that is the question, ”said the President of Russia.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that Western countries would have to negotiate with Moscow anyway. Putin added that Russia is ready and open to such agreements.
About faith in words
At the press conference, I asked Putin what information can be trusted about the course of the military operation and the problems of military personnel.
“You said that the military’s problems have been or have been resolved. However, the flow of messages from the fighters from the front does not stop. Appeals come to military commissars, volunteers. They not only want uniforms, they also want medicine because supplies run out very quickly. Who should we believe: the reports of the Ministry of Defense or the fighters on the front?” the journalist asked.
Replying, “You can’t trust anyone. Only I can do it.” Putin added that the work with the Ministry of Defense is “continuous” to solve all these problems.
In social networks, it was claimed that his words were a reference to the words Müller sang in Leonid Bronevoy’s TV series “17 Moments of Spring”. The Gestapo chief’s quote looks exactly like this: “The counterintelligence officer must always know that in our time no one can be trusted, like no one else. Sometimes even to yourself. I can!”
About Ilya Yashin (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation)
Journalist Andrey Kolesnikov asked the president to comment on the decision on politician Ilya Yashin, who was sentenced by a court to 8.5 years in prison on December 9 in a criminal case for broadcasting about the events in Bucha, Ukraine, for spreading fake news about the Russian army. Kolesnikov asked if such a phrase for words seemed “cruel” to the president. Before answering, Putin asked who Yashin was.
“You know, as our people say, if it looks that way, you need to be baptized. After all, I received my basic education at the then Leningrad State University, and I want to tell you that I find it absolutely unacceptable to interfere in the activities of the courts, I do not find it appropriate to question the decision of the court, ”the author said.
He added that in Russia there are legal ways to protect the rights of citizens, including appealing the decision in the higher courts. And he expressed confidence that Yashin’s lawyers “definitely know what to do.”
About mobilization and special operations
Putin said there is no reason for new waves of mobilization to the special operations zone. According to him, rotation of already mobilized citizens is possible.
“Today such factors do not exist, they are not visible. As I said, 300,000 people were called as part of the mobilization. 150 thousand of them are in the group, only half of those in the group, that is, a little more than 77 thousand in combat units. The remaining half are either in the second or third positions – this is actually the role of the regional troops – or are engaged in additional training, ”Putin said.
The President added that another 150,000 people are in training centers and training areas. They are a combat reserve, so there is no “now” additional mobilization.
“SVO continues as usual, everything is stable with us, there are no questions there and there are no problems today,” Vladimir Putin also told reporters. He added that in any case, the resolution of the dispute will not be easy.
“The resolution process as a whole – yes, it will probably not be easy and will take some time. One way or another, all participants in this process will have to agree with the realities that develop “on the field”.
About booth change
Commenting on the exchange of Brittney Griner with Viktor Bout between Russia and the USA, the President emphasized that the special services of both countries are interested in such issues.
“As for the exchanges, in this case these issues were handled by the FSB. The FSB agreed from the start, negotiated, and reached the results you’ve now learned (Bout’s exchange with Greiner). Contacts continue, through special services they have never stopped, ”Putin explained.
He did not rule out that there would be other prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Washington in the future. According to the president, such processes are the result of a search for a compromise. And Russia is ready for such concessions.
About the oil price ceiling
Putin said the $60-per-barrel cap on Russian oil imposed by the EU and G7 countries on December 5 was a “stupid” decision that would primarily affect Western consumers. And he expressed confidence that the Russian budget will not suffer from this.
“The issue is not about us, the issue is the general state of world energy, it is harmful for world energy markets, world energy markets. I repeat, we are already selling at these prices, don’t worry about the budget.”
According to him, marginal prices of Russian oil will lead to a decrease in investments in the energy sector. This will lead to a sharp increase in energy prices.
“All this will at some stage lead to a catastrophic rise in prices and a collapse of world energy, that’s what it will lead to. This is a stupid offer, poorly thought out and uncalculated,” said Putin, announcing that retaliatory measures will be taken at the price ceiling in the coming days.
About the Crimean bridge
Vladimir Putin also announced that on December 5, he crossed the Crimean bridge to personally check on the progress of repair work after the terrorist attack.
“I wanted to support the builders, thank them because they completed a huge amount of work in a very short time and they did it with high quality. I actually wanted to see for myself how it was done. Indeed, the quality, the technologies used, were made at the highest technical and technological level.”
He promised that the automobile part of the bridge would be fully repaired by the end of March next year, and the railway part in mid-summer.
* Ilya Yashin is recognized as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.