Details of President Putin's discussion

(CLO) Russian President Vladimir Putin held a wide-ranging live televised discussion on Thursday. This annual event lasted over four hours and saw him address many of today's hot topics.

Ready to negotiate with Mr. Trump to end the Ukraine conflict.

President Putin said Russia is ready to compromise on Ukraine in possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on ending the conflict with Ukraine.

"We have always said that we are ready to negotiate and compromise," Putin said after stating that Russian forces were making progress on all fronts and were moving toward achieving their main objectives in Ukraine.

Details of President Putin's discussions from Ukraine and Israel to Trump Zelenskyy and China (Figure 1) — The scene of the discussion. Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev

"Soon, the Ukrainians who want to fight will be gone; in my opinion, soon no one will want to fight anymore. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromise."

President Zelenskyy needs to be legally re-elected.

President Putin stated this time that Russia is not setting conditions for starting negotiations with Ukraine and is ready to negotiate with anyone, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But he said any agreement could only be signed with the legitimate authorities of Ukraine, which the Kremlin currently considers to be the Ukrainian parliament .

Putin said President Zelenskyy, whose term had expired but was extended due to martial law, would need to be re-elected for Moscow to consider him a legitimate signatory to any agreement.

Putin rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire with Kyiv, saying that only a lasting peace agreement with Ukraine would truly guarantee it.

He added that any negotiations should start from a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the early weeks of the war at the Istanbul talks, but that agreement was never implemented.

Russia has essentially achieved its objectives in Ukraine.

Russia views its special military operation in Ukraine as a defensive measure aimed at preventing NATO's dangerous expansion into eastern Europe.

Putin said the fighting was very complex, therefore "it is difficult and pointless to predict what will happen... but we are moving towards solving the main tasks that we outlined at the beginning of the special military operation."

Regarding the continued presence of Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, President Putin stated that Kyiv's troops would be forced to withdraw.

Russia should have sent troops into Ukraine sooner.

When asked if he would have done anything differently regarding Ukraine, Putin said he should have sent troops into Ukraine sooner than 2022 and that Russia should have prepared better and earlier for the conflict.

"You know, if I could look at the situation in 2022, know what's going on now, what would I think? That a decision like that, made at the beginning of 2022, should have been made earlier," he said.

President Putin added that he acted at the time “because we couldn’t stand still and wait for the situation to get worse for us – that’s all that needed to be done.”

"We have escaped the abyss."

When asked whether he had taken care of Russia, something Boris Yeltsin had asked him to do before handing over the presidency at the end of 1999, Putin replied that he had done so.

"We have escaped the abyss," Putin said. "I have done everything to ensure that Russia is an independent and sovereign power, capable of making decisions in its own interest."

Oreshnik is invincible.

During the discussion, Putin also praised the invincibility of the "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile that Russia had previously launched at a Ukrainian military facility.

He also said he was ready to conduct another launch into Ukraine and see if Western air defenses could shoot down the missile.

Israel is the big winner in Syria.

Returning to the Middle East, Putin acknowledged that Israel had emerged as a key player in Syria but rejected any suggestion that Russia had suffered a defeat.

"Israel has gained influence in Syria... but we have achieved our goals," he argued.

He explained: "Russia's presence there has always been aimed at combating terrorism, stabilizing the region, and preventing the Islamic State (IS) from operating."

President Zelenskyy may travel abroad.

Putin speculated that President Zelensky might seek exile, alluding to the potential political consequences in Ukraine. “He would have the support of those whose interests he is serving today,” the Russian president remarked, referring to Western leaders.

Relations with China are at an all-time high.

Putin praised the partnership between Russia and China as being stronger than ever, emphasizing its geopolitical importance.

"Our relationship with China is at an all-time high – both economically and strategically," he declared, highlighting joint energy projects and military cooperation.