It is a tradition for Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a lengthy press conference at the end of the year. This time was no different. On Dec. 19, the Russian leader answered a wide range of questions from local and foreign journalists for four hours and 20 minutes.
This year, Putin, as usual, took softball questions and avoided harder ones, received praise and gratitude from loyalists, and offered controversial alternative views on historic events.
He spoke about Ukraine, too.
Just 10 days earlier, he met with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky face-to-face for the first time at the Normandy summit brokered by the German and French leaders.
Putin said he was alarmed by Zelensky statement about reviewing the Minsk peace agreements for resolving Russia’s war in Donbas. Ukraine wants to change the conditions under which it would regain control over its eastern border with Russia, now occupied by Kremlin-backed separatists, before holding elections in the region. The current version of the 2015 accord proposes elections first.
“If the revision of the Minsk agreements starts, the situation can come to a complete dead end,” Putin said.
He added that the key point in the agreements is granting the occupied parts of Donbas self-governing status on a permanent basis.
“All this indicates that neither the former nor the current Ukrainian administration wants to do it. There is no way around it. Direct dialogue with Donbas is needed,” Putin said.
Ukraine agreed to grant the currently occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts a self-governing status under two conditions: free local elections held under Ukrainian law and monitored the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as the pullback of all armed groups from the area. But the Ukrainian parliament extended the law that would grant this status for only one year.
Putin said the Kremlin proxy authorities in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts were democratically elected in accordance with Minsk agreements.
He also said there are no foreign troops in the occupied territories. This contradicts extensive evidence of direct Russian involvement in the region.
“There are local militias and defense forces. Tanks and weaponry come from ‘sympathizing states,’ just like in every hot spot in the world. But the military equipment is theirs,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual marathon press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19.
Gas transit
Ukraine and Russia have struggled to sign a new agreement for the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian pipeline networks. The current contract expires on Dec. 31.
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has built a new pipeline from Russia to northern Turkey, called TurkStream, and is nearing the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would carry gas from northern Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine.
“Despite new infrastructure, we are ready to keep transit through Ukraine. The question is in contract terms and volumes,” Putin said. “We are also ready to sell Ukraine gas with a discount.”
On Dec. 17, the U.S. Senate imposed sanctions on companies that are helping Gazprom build the two new pipelines to Europe.
Putin replied that Russia will respond “in a mirror way.”
“They want to help Ukraine keep the transit, but I just said that we are interested in it. And we will do it,” Putin said, “If they (the U.S.) want to help, they’d better give money, money to subsidize gas.”
He then lashed out against Ukraine’s Western partners, specifically the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, for pushing unpopular reforms such as raising gas prices or allowing land sales.
Trump’s impeachment
The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald J. Trump on Dec. 13 for abusing power and obstructing Congress after he tried to pressure Zelensky to investigate his Democratic rivals on what are de facto conspiracy theory-based allegations. Now the U.S. president is facing trial in the Senate, which must now vote on whether to remove him from office.
Putin said he was not sure that Trump’s presidency was about to come to an end soon.
“It still needs to go through the Senate where Republicans have a majority, and it’s unlikely they will want to remove a representative of their party from power on what are, in my opinion, completely made-up reasons,” he said.
“This is the continuation of internal political infighting. The Democratic Party, which lost the elections, is pursuing a result by different means. First, accusing Trump of collusion with Russia. It turned out there was no collusion. Then they made up some pressure on Ukraine.”
