Surging News reporter Hou Danwei
According to CCTV News, at noon local time on December 14, the "Annual Summary with Vladimir Putin" event began in Moscow, Russia. The event combines Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference with a live broadcast with the public, which has been held since 2001.
On December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference in Moscow, the capital of Russia, and held a live broadcast with the Russian people. The picture in this article is a surging image figure
The event was co-chaired by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, journalists from Channel One and the all-Russian state television and radio channel Russia-1, Ekaterina Berezovskaya and Pavel Zarubin. In addition, representatives of Russian federal and regional media and foreign correspondents stationed in Moscow who were invited by the Russian Presidential Press Service also attended the press conference. According to Peskov, the invited journalists come from both friendly and unfriendly countries towards Russia.
The event lasted for 4 hours and 3 minutes. During this time, Putin answered about 80 questions from the public and journalists. Among them, the topics that have attracted the most attention from the public and the media include the economy, international relations, and the "special military operation".
For the first time since the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
Receiving nearly 3 million questions, Putin "prepared for the exam" 2 days in advance
The Russian president's practice of holding "live connections" and annual press conferences began in 2001, during Putin's first presidential term. The former is usually held in June every year, while the latter is usually held in December. Since his election as Russian president in 2000, Putin has held these two events almost every year, receiving questions from the media and the public on hot issues in Russia and internationally within hours of non-stop answers.
In 2023, the Russian President's "Live Connection" event will be combined with the annual press conference. This is Putin's 20th "live connection" event and 18th annual press conference during his presidency, and the first time Putin has held these two events since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In 2022, both events were cancelled.
Since December 1 this year, the Russian presidential office has begun to accept questions from the public about Putin. By the end of the campaign on December 14, the All-Russian Popular Front had received more than 2.8 million questions addressed to Putin by phone, text message, website message, etc., with the population focusing on issues such as the "special military operation", health care, pensions, infrastructure development, housing, education, and welfare for families with many children. Mikhail Kuznetsov, chairman of the Executive Committee of the All-Russian Popular Front, said that the joint editorial team picks out the most realistic questions to submit to Putin, and then Putin himself chooses which questions to answer.
Before the event, Peskov said that Putin held a meeting with Valery Zorkin, a judge of the Russian Constitutional Court and president of the court, on Constitution Day on December 12, and then used the rest of the day and the whole day of the 13th to prepare for the combined "live connection" and the annual press conference at 12 noon Moscow time on the 14th. During this period, Putin presided over a detailed meeting attended by the top level of the presidential office and asked about the relevant information about the people's questions.
On December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference in Moscow, the capital of Russia, and held a live broadcast with the Russian people.
The Russian domestic economy has recovered from the downturn and is moving forward
At the beginning of the "live connection" and the annual press conference, Putin said that Russia cannot exist without sovereignty, so the most important thing is to strengthen sovereignty, financial and technological sovereignty is the key to the future of every country.
Subsequently, Putin reviewed Russia's economic situation in 2023.
Putin said that the Russian economy has recovered from the downturn of 2022 and is moving forward. Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 3.5% in 2023, and the processing industry is expected to grow by 7.5%. Russia's financial system remains stable, the state debt is on a downward trend, Russia's external debt has fallen from $46 billion to $32 billion, fixed asset investment has increased by 10%, and corporate profits have increased by 24%. Russia's unemployment rate has fallen to a record low of 2.9%. By the end of 2023, the real income of Russian residents will increase by about 5%.
At the same time, Putin pointed out that despite the increase in defense spending, the Russian Government is fulfilling and will continue to fulfill its obligations to its citizens. By the end of the year, inflation in Russia may accelerate to 7.5% or even 8%, but the Central Bank of Russia and the Russian government are taking steps to bring it back to the target target. Putin also apologized to the population in particular for the rise in the price of eggs in Russia, calling it a "mistake in the work of the government" and promising to solve the problem as soon as possible.
In addition, in response to a reporter's question about the new Argentine government's economic plan, Putin said that the logic of the new Argentine government's dollarization of the economy is understandable, and it is also an internal affair of Argentina, but "this is a significant loss of sovereignty" and pegging to the dollar could have serious social and economic consequences.
Putin also said that the West's restriction of Russia's use of the dollar and euro was "shooting itself in the foot." Russia does not reject the dollar, but has begun to control the settlement of the dollar and the euro. According to Putin, in 2021, the share of the dollar and euro in Russia's foreign trade was as high as 87%, and the ruble - 11%-13%. By September 2023, the share of the ruble had risen to 40%, the share of the yuan to 33%, and the euro and the dollar to 24%.
The goals of Russia's "special military operation" have not changed,
It is not Russia that is destroying relations between Russia and the West
When talking about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Putin said that the goals of Russia's "special military operation" have not changed, and the main task of the Russian side is to strengthen border security and ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens. Putin also said that as of December 13, more than 486,000 people in Russia have signed service contracts with the Ministry of Defense, 1,500 people in Russia become volunteers every day, and there are currently 244,000 mobilized people in the area of the special military operation, and there is no need for new mobilization.
When talking about relations with the West, Putin said that for a long time, Russia wanted to develop relations with Ukraine, but the United States created incidents in Ukraine, and the European Union and the United States "sang and made peace". Putin also said that EU countries have largely lost their sovereignty, that they are making decisions that are unfavorable to them and ignoring Russia's interests. Russia has not damaged relations with the West, it is the United States and the European Union that have damaged their own relations with Russia.
At the same time, Putin said that the United States is an important and necessary country, and Russia is ready to improve and develop relations with the United States, but the imperial mentality of the other side is the main obstacle to this process, and the basic conditions for restoring Russian-American relations are not yet available. "When there are some fundamental changes within [the United States], they start to respect other people, other countries, and they look for compromises, not through sanctions and military action to try to solve their problems," Putin said. By that time, Russia and the United States will have the basic conditions for resuming relations. ”
In response to a question from a French journalist, Putin said that he had established "quite friendly working ties" with French President Emmanuel Macron, but that Macron himself had ended the relationship. If the leaders of European countries, including Macron, do not want to communicate with Russia, then nothing will help. If European countries are interested in resuming communication, the Russian side is ready.
On December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference in Moscow, the capital of Russia, and held a live broadcast with the Russian people.
Sino-Russian relations have become an important guarantee for world stability
In response to a question raised by a Xinhua News Agency reporter, Putin pointed out that the level of cooperation between China and Russia has reached an unprecedented height. This year, the trade volume between the two countries will exceed 200 billion US dollars, an increase of 30% from last year. At the same time, cooperation in various fields, including infrastructure construction and high-tech fields, is also developing.
When talking about BRICS cooperation, Putin said that Sino-Russian relations have become one of the important guarantees for world stability. The Russian side sees NATO's attempt to stir up the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. And the relationship between China and Russia is different from that of NATO countries, it is a friendship that does not establish any bloc and does not target anyone.
Before Putin answered questions from Chinese journalists, there was a "small episode" at the scene. When many reporters raised their hands to ask questions, Peskov saw the New York Times reporter and asked the staff to hand the microphone to the New York Times reporter. At this point, Putin interrupted Peskov and asked for a question from the Xinhua News Agency and then the New York Times.
The emergence of new centers of economic growth
Turning the direction of Russian energy exports to the east
Asked about the "eastward turn" of energy trade, Putin said that Russia will not be swayed by political motives when supplying gas to Europe, and that the adjustment in the direction of energy exports is due to the emergence of new centers of economic growth.
"As for the turn to the east, this is not because of the aggravation of the situation in the Ukrainian direction," Putin said. No, we started doing these things a long time ago, and the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline was not because of Ukraine. Why? Because we are seeing a trend in the development of the world economy – new centers of economic growth have emerged, and major consumers have appeared there, and they are there to buy oil, gas and coal. We are looking at further expanding our supply to China, and we are also considering other countries as possible consumers. ”
Putin also noted that, unlike European countries, Japan has not given up Russian energy and continues to buy Russian energy.
What is happening in the Middle East is "a catastrophe"
Answering a question from a correspondent of Turkey's Anadolu News Agency about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Putin said that what is currently happening in the Middle East is a catastrophe, and some countries are blocking the decision of the UN Security Council to contain the escalation of the situation in Gaza. The Russian side noted that Erdogan played an important role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Like Turkey, the Russian side proceeds from the belief that a decision should be made on the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Putin said that Russia will increase the supply of medicines and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Russia is considering opening a hospital in the Gaza Strip, but Israel has not yet agreed.
At the same time, Putin mentioned that he plans to hold a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan early next year.
Putin talks about sports, AI, family, and other topics
In addition to political and economic issues, Putin also touched on many other topics at the event.
Speaking about sports, Putin said that the ideals of the Olympic movement are being undermined today, that the IOC may artificially "cut off" Russian athletes from participating in the Olympics, and that the actions of Olympic officials against Russia are a distortion of Coubertin's thinking. Russia should seriously analyze the conditions for the IOC to admit Russian athletes to the Olympic Games and make a "balanced decision" on the issue of participation.
Putin also said that Russian athletes have been training for many years and are known to the world even without a national flag. In response to calls for the suspension of Israeli athletes from competition after the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Putin expressed opposition and stressed that sports should have nothing to do with politics.
Putin's response to AI-related questions has also attracted media attention. An 8-year-old girl named Alina Simonova said in a question to Putin that she was worried that people, including her loved ones, would soon be replaced by robots. Putin assured her that no one would be able to replace her grandmother.
Later, "AI Putin" made with deepfake technology appeared in a video, asking Putin what he thinks about the development of neural networks and whether he has many "stand-ins". To this, Putin said: "You can be like me and speak in my voice. But I thought about it and decided that there was only one person who could be like me and speak in my voice, and that person was me. By the way, this is my first 'stand-in'. ”
In addition, for Russia, which has long been plagued by demographic problems, family-related issues are also of great concern. When asked what the most memorable gift is, Putin said: "The greatest gift is the child, and the child of our children." He stressed the need for Russia to return to traditional values, and the state will continue to provide benefits and guarantees to families with children.
When talking about labor-related issues, Putin said that there are currently about 20 million labor migrants in Russia. Although Russia needs labor, this does not mean that Russia will solve economic and labor market problems at all costs, while neglecting to protect the interests of its own people.
Putin stressed that all migrants must respect Russian laws and traditions, and that Russia will help and create conditions for solving the social problems faced by migrants and their families.
What if there was a chance to go back in time?
At the end of the event, Putin was asked what advice or warning he would give to his 2000 self if he had the opportunity to go back in time.
To which Putin responded, he would admonish himself at that time "not to be too naïve and credulous in relations with our so-called partners (Western countries)", but in general he would tell himself: "Comrade, you are on the right path." ”
Putin said that he would also admonish himself: "Great Russia must be believed, the Russian people must be believed." This belief is the key to the successful revival, establishment and development of Russia. ”
Editor of this issue: Zou Shan