Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Nadia Khomami

Vladimir Putin press conference: 'Russian military personnel were in Ukraine' - as it happened

Putin holds annual press conference in Moscow

Summary

Here is a summary of the key points from the Putin press conference:

  • Putin admitted for the first time the presence of Russian military specialists in east Ukraine. Asked by a Ukrainian reporter an hour into the briefing about two Russian military intelligence officers captured by Kiev and currently on trial in Ukraine, Putin said: “We never said there were not people there who carried out certain tasks including in the military sphere.” He insisted this was not the same as regular Russian troops.
  • Putin said the Russian military operation in Syria will continue until a political process starts and that he was unsure whether Russia needs a permanent military base in the country. He added that Moscow supports a US draft of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria. A new constitution for Syria must be drafted, and a new election prepared in which the Syrians themselves will determine its leadership, he said.
  • Putin said he doesn’t see any prospect for reviving relations with Turkey, and that Ataturk would be rolling in his grave over Islamization in modern Turkey. He was angry that Ankara called Brussels, not Moscow, when it downed a Russian jet.
  • Putin said the killing of opposition leader Nemtsov must be investigated and punished.
  • Putin said said FIFA’s Sepp Blatter deserves a Nobel peace prize.
  • Putin said it was not possible to say Russian officers in captivity would be exchanged for Ukrainian helicopter pilot Nadezhda Savchenko because of the criminal case against them.
  • Putin did not confirm or deny whether Ekaterina Tikhonva is his daughter, stating that he did not discuss his daughters “due to security matters”.
  • He said it was not yet clear whether the children of Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika had actually committed any crimes, an allegation recently made by the opposition.
  • And he said Russia has passed the peak of the economic crisis.

That’s it from me. Thanks for reading.

Updated

Before he left - Putin said Russia doesn’t see a new anti-terror coalition led by Saudi Arabia as hostile to its interests, but he called for pooling global efforts to fight against terrorism. He said that he doesn’t quite understand the purpose of creating the new coalition, because many of its members are part of the U.S.-led coalition. At the same time, he added that Russia has cooperated with Saudi Arabia despite their differences on the Syrian crisis.

That’s it, the marathon is over: 3 hours 10 mins.

Updated

Putin says Russia needs to work together with Kiev to resolve Ukraine conflict as soon as possible:

Putin says the killing of opposition leader Nemtsov must be investigated and punished.

Updated

Putin says Russia will not impose sanctions on Ukraine:

Putin said Russia is working with Egypt to restore air links that Moscow cut following the crash of a Russian airliner on the Sinai Peninsula. Moscow has said the plane was downed by an explosive device.

He said Russia decided to suspend air travel with Egypt because its agencies aren’t immediately capable of guaranteeing safety of Russian citizens. He said that the move wasn’t political and he praised the Egyptian president for his “great personal courage” in fighting terror.

Putin added that the air links will be restored after Russian and Egyptian officials work out a set of measures to ensure safety, including the presence of Russian representatives at Egyptian airports.

I mean we’ve been going for three hours now.

Updated

Vladimir Putin has for the first time admitted the presence of Russian military specialists in east Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly denied a military presence in the conflict, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But the Russian president conceded there were military intelligence officers operating in the country in a marathon press conference on Thursday.

Asked by a Ukrainian reporter an hour into the briefing about two Russian military intelligence officers captured by Kiev and currently on trial in Ukraine, Putin said: “We never said there were not people there who carried out certain tasks including in the military sphere.” He insisted this was not the same as regular Russian troops.

There was no opportunity for a follow-up question to examine how many military specialists Putin believes were in Ukraine and what exact tasks they were carrying out. At key moments in the conflict in east Ukraine there has been much evidence of regular Russian army involvement.

Putin also initially denied the “little green men” present during the annexation of Crimea were Russian soldiers but afterwards admitted they were.

In the first part of his press conference, Putin also dealt with questions about the Russian economy, corruption, Syria and the recent crisis in relations with Turkey.

He struck an uncompromising note on Turkey, saying if the shooting down of a Russian jet had been an accident, officials could have called Moscow, but instead they called Nato first.

“Someone in the Turkish leadership tried to lick the Americans in a particular place, I don’t know whether the Americans needed that,” said Putin.

Peaks and troughs. Anyone have any snacks?

Updated

Putin admits to Russian personnel in Ukraine from “military field”:

Who’s claiming to be Putin’s rose? ‘fess up.

Putin on Sepp Blatter and the Nobel prize:

Mikhail Rubin from RBC asks: Is Ekaterina Tikhonva your daughter? Putin doesn’t deny nor confirm - “due to security matters”. He adds: “Every person has the right to decide his own future. My daughters were never star children, they’re just living their lives, in a very dignified way.”

Putin says they speak three languages fluently. “They’re not active in business and they don’t do politics”.

Putin said Russia is ready to work to improve ties with the United States, and to work with anyone who is elected its next president.

He said his talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this week have shown that Washington is ready to “move toward settling the issues that can only be settled through joint efforts.”

Here’s what Putin said about the doping scandal and FIFA:

Someone just told Putin he looks “fit”.

Putin just said FIFA’s Sepp Blatter should get a Nobel peace prize. Because why not...

Putin on Assad and a political solution in Syria:

... and on a Russian base in Syria:

Updated

Putin says Ukraine is ruled by foreign overlords who have appointed Mikheil Saakashvili.

Putin just referred to “the territorial integrity of Ukraine... I mean, Georgia”. Oops.

Here’s a clip of Putin on Turkey:

Putin is now defending the Platon tax that has sparked truckers’ protests in Russia.

More details regarding Putin’s admission that Russia had personnel in Ukraine, from AFP:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia did have personnel in eastern Ukraine who were carrying out certain military tasks but denied Moscow had deployed regular troops there.

“We never said there were no people there who were carrying out certain tasks including in the military sphere,” Putin told an annual news conference.

“But that does not mean there are Russian (regular) troops there, feel the difference.”

Putin said Russia was ready to persuade separatists in eastern Ukraine that a compromise was needed in order to achieve a political settlement of the conflict there.

He also said he expected trade relations with Ukraine to worsen, but that Moscow would not impose any sanctions on Kiev related to its trade deal with the European Union.

Putin has dodged questions about Turchak, Chaika, and Rotenberg. He’s made a joke about fur coats instead.

He said it was not yet clear whether the children of Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika had actually committed any crimes, an allegation recently made by the opposition.

A fund run by opposition activist Alexei Navalny has said that Chaika and his family had been involved in crimes, including corruption schemes.

Updated

Some points from Putin on Ukraine:

  • Putin for the first time admits Russians were in Ukraine in the ‘military sphere’
  • Says Russia does not plan to introduce any sanctions against Ukraine
  • Russia will not give Ukraine any trade preferences from Jan 2016
  • Russia has no interest in worsening of Ukraine conflict
  • Russia wants a solution to the conflict but not at the cost of people in eastern Ukraine
  • Russia wants to fulfill the Minsk peace agreement
  • Kiev is not completely fulfilling aspects of the Minsk deal relating to special status for eastern regions
  • Russia is ready to persuade people in south-east Ukraine that a solution is needed

Updated

Here’s some copy from the Associated Press about Putin’s comments on Syria.

President Vladimir Putin says that Russian military operation in Syria will continue until a political process starts. Putin said at a televised news conference that once the Syrians decide it’s time to stop fighting and launch talks, “we aren’t going to be more Syrian than the Syrians themselves,” and Moscow will wrap up its military action.

He says that he was unsure whether Russia needs a permanent military base in Syria. He said new Russian weapons, such as sea- and air-launched cruise missiles, give Moscow enough punch to strike an enemy and there may be no need for a permanent base in Syria.

Putin also said the Syrian people themselves must determine who rules the country.

Putin, who met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this week, said Moscow supports a U.S. draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria. He says a new constitution for Syria must be drafted, and a new election prepared in which the Syrians themselves will determine its leadership.

He adds that Russia believes that a political settlement is the only way to end the Syrian crisis.

Putin says Russia and the U.S. agree on the need to ensure work on a new constitution and create mechanisms of control over future elections.

Updated

Putin referred to Ukraine as “our brotherly republic, as I never get tired of saying.”

A Ukrainian journalist asked if captured Russian officers would be exchanged for Ukrainian helicopter pilot Nadezhda Savchenko. Putin says the criminal case against them has excluded this possibility.

Updated

Putin on Ukraine: “We never said there were not people there who carried out certain tasks including in the military sphere”. But this is different to the regular Russian army, he adds.

Updated

Kremlin pool reporter has a big scoop. Putin has a new cup.

Updated

Russia doesn’t necessarily need a permanent base in Syria, Putin says.

Updated

Time for a coffee tbh.

Putin says Russia has partially succeeded in uniting Syrian government and opposition forces in their fight against ISIS. He says Russia will continue air strikes in Syria for as long as Syrian army continues its own military operations.

Putin says the Russian plan on Syria generally overlaps with the US one.

Updated

State run Channel One asks: “Do we have a clear plan on Syria? Or are we being impulsive?”

Putin says ISIS is a threat to everyone. “The quicker we can deal with it. The better. Nothing other than political solution [in Syria]”.

Updated

Putin says he doesn’t see any prospect for reviving relations with Turkey.

Also... what?

Oh boy...

Putin is angry that Ankara called Brussels, not Moscow, when the Russian jet was downed.

Putin says the downing of the Russian jet by Turkey was a hostile act.

Updated

We’ve gone to two more Turkey questions. The Guardian’s Shaun Walker says it looks like a planned opportunity for Putin to give the signal to officials to stop harrassing Turks in Russia.

Updated

Putin interrupted Peskov to take a question from a Tatar business journalist because she had “such a big sign”. She asked whether Russia should break off investment ties with Turkey.

Updated

The map of Russia behind Putin’s head includes the annexed Crimea.

WHOSE IS IT?!

Updated

Here’s a video of Putin’s “old joke”. I have a feeling the punchline got lost in translation.

And how would you attempt to draw Putin’s attention?

Putin just called for a round of applause for a RIA Novosti journalist who asked a question about why central bank should lower rates.

Meanwhile on Red Square a man has apparently tried to set himself on fire.

AP reports:

President Vladimir Putin says that Russia’s economy is showing signs of stabilization despite plummeting oil prices.

He said that despite a GDP drop caused by a drop in global oil prices, Russia’s main commodity, the nation’s industries have started to rebound.

He said the nation’s currencyy reserves stand at $364 billion and a capital outflow has slowed.

He’s still going.... the gist is: economic forecasts will have to be reviewed due to falling oil prices. But Russia’s economy has already turned the corner.

Updated

Putin is coughing a lot. It’s cold in Moscow this time of year.

He says Russia has passed the peak of the economic crisis. Uses weird anecdote about life not always being black and white.

Updated

The first question has been about the Russian economy.

Putin opened his speech by saying he’s already made all his key points in his address to parliament, but there must be questions that need additional clarification. That’s it, we’re off to questions already.

Waiting for Putin.... it’s tense.

The conference hasn’t even started yet and we’re already talking about a bear with an axe.

Here’s a photo of a fresher faced Putin at his first big press conference in 2001. They say politics can age a man. Thoughts?

An actual legitimate question that a lot of people were asking yesterday was whether Vladimir Putin is immortal? A photograph from 1920 that began circulating showed a Russian soldier who bears an uncanny resemblance to the country’s current leader. Another photo, taken of a Russian soldier in 1941, also looks very much like Putin. Edward Cullen eat your heart out.

Updated

Welcome to our live coverage of Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference. It will be the 11th press conference Putin will have with Russian and international journalists during the three terms he has been head of state. These events have been known to go on for hours. Given that you could say there’s quite a lot for him to talk about this year, best get yourself settled in a comfy seat with a cup of your favourite brew.

Almost 1,400 journalists have received accreditation for this year’s event, according to the Kremlin website. Our Moscow correspondent Shaun Walker will be filing and tweeting from the scene throughout the morning. Here is his introduction:

I’m in the hall waiting for the press conference to start, it’s a huge venue and there are 1400 journalists accredited this year, making it pretty hard to actually get a question in. everyone from world media to the smallest local Russian publication is here.

The usual drill is that Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov will ask some selected journalists for the first hour and a half, a mix of Russian state outlets and a few more independent or foreign journalists, who will ask questions loosely agreed in advance. After that, Putin tends to go for a pick and mix approach, calling on those who take his fancy. Many regional journalists have made signs or brought props to try to catch the leader’s attention.

The format is advantageous to Putin – he does normally take a few awkward questions, but the format allows for no follow-up or cross examination, so he can usually bat any tricky questions away with little effort. He normally gives the impression of enjoying the session and in previous years has gone for nearly five hours without a break, though last year’s session was more modest, ending shortly after the allotted three hour mark.

The questions are likely to range over a wide range of issues, from the economy and local issues to the war in Syria. In previous years Putin has been asked to intervene in the building of a local kindergarten and asked how he manages to look so good.

It will be interesting to see whether Putin takes a question on the extraordinary allegations aired recently by anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny over the business and criminal links of the family of Russia’s prosecutor general. Sitting two rows in front of me is Georgy Alburov, who works for Navalny’s foundation and has somehow managed to get accredited.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Forget blue light blocking for better sleep — this is the hidden iPhone feature to use instead
This hidden gem iPhone feature turns my phone from a carnival of excitement to an absolute snoozefest. Here's how to do it.
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Florida woman ghosts her date after a nightmare meetup. A week later, he sent her something she’ll never forget
A first date going wrong are nothing new. But this Florida woman’s experience proves that sometimes, a person’s true character comes out days after the bill is paid. 
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Rescue group in Las Vegas tries to catch a toucan that escaped its owner before it's too late
The life of a toucan seen flying around the Las Vegas desert is at risk unless it can be captured soon
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
‘Im too scared’: Texas woman orders Sausage McGriddles at McDonald’s — only to find teeth fragments in her breakfast
It’s not unusual to have a weird food experience at a food joint in the United States. Sometimes, you may find something missing, while other times you may find something that doesn’t belong. In the case of user @kai_michelle24 on TikTok, who is from Texas, unfortunately, it’s the latter. In…
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Even Fox News hosts struggling to make sense of RFK Jr’s and Kid Rock’s workout video
‘Listen, somebody needs to tell RFK Jr. it’s okay to wear shorts. I mean, bro, don’t be upset about your legs,’ Fox News military analyst Johnny Jones said
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
NC Parents: Miss Too Many School Days and You Could Face Fines
Waking up to a coughing child with a fever triggers an immediate focus on their health. You naturally keep them home to recover and shield their classmates from germs. However, those recovery days accumulate quickly. Soon, a letter arrives in the mail that feels more like a legal threat than…
Budget and the Bees
Budget and the Bees
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play