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On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his seventeenth (consecutively) annual Q&A convention with Russian and worldwide journalists. In 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic, a little bit greater than 500 journalists had been allowed for the convention with Putin, which is half as a lot as typical. The occasion was at Moscow’s Manezh Exhibition Corridor close to the Kremlin. The journalists requested Putin about vaccinations and herd immunity in Russia, concerning the state of affairs in financial system, and the primary challenges that Russia is dealing with as we speak.
Under are just a few quotes from the convention.
In regards to the omicron variant and herd immunity
“This battle continues. We’re conscious of the risks that the omicron variant causes because it spreads. A gaggle of our scientists and specialists is at present visiting the Republic of South Africa, the place, in reality, this pressure was found. They work there, and so they work efficiently.
“The herd immunity in Russia quantities to 59.4 % (…) This isn’t sufficient. We’d like herd immunity someplace at round 80 %. I hope that subsequent yr, at the least on the finish of the primary quarter, or within the second quarter of the yr, we are going to attain this degree. In some international locations, they already speak about the necessity to obtain herd immunity at 90-95 %.”
In regards to the dying fee in Russia
“There is a rise in mortality in our nation. And on this regard, one of the crucial vital issues, one of the crucial vital duties that we face, which is within the area of demography, exacerbates each from the humanitarian and geopolitical standpoint. The inhabitants of 146 million is completely not sufficient for such an enormous territory.
About financial downturn
“The Russian financial system has declined by three %, which was a lot decrease than in a lot of main international locations of the world. We’ve recovered a lot quicker than different international locations too.”
In regards to the West and the opposition
“There are military bases throughout us — within the east, within the south, within the north, new weapons programs are additionally being deployed, together with at sea, not to mention within the west. But, to encircle such a big territory as ours is a troublesome job to pursue.”
“Russia can’t be defeated. It might solely be disintegrated from the within. That had been executed efficiently because of WWI after which within the Nineteen Nineties, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Who had executed that? It was the individuals who had been serving another person’s pursuits — the pursuits that had nothing to do with the pursuits of the peoples of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.”
About Ukraine and Crimea
Till 2014, we might negotiate every thing with the Ukrainian authorities. We used to work collectively and we had been able to proceed working. It had by no means occurred to us to do something concerning the Crimea. In 2014, a bloody coup occurred, when individuals could be killed and burned. In Odessa, individuals had been burned alive within the Home of Commerce Unions. Did anybody transfer a finger to search out the perpetrators? Completely not.”
On the probability of warfare
“Russia just isn’t offended, Russia is concentrating.”
“They maintain speaking about warfare, however it may very well be Ukraine that’s making ready a 3rd navy operation, and so they are not looking for us to intervene. That is the primary variant. Secondly, they may very well be making anti-Russia out of Ukraine, in order that they might push radicals in the direction of committing crime towards Russia, together with within the Donbas and within the Crimea. How ought to Russia reside with all that? Ought to we glance again on a regular basis? This can be a critical concern!”
“Battle just isn’t our selection. We are not looking for warfare, and that was the rationale why I requested President Biden to nominate representatives and maintain consultations on safety. We put that straight — NATO mustn’t develop additional to the east.”
About Ukraine’s creator
“Who created Ukraine? Lenin did, when he was creating the Soviet Union. The treaty from 1922, and the treaty from 1924, the yr of the Structure, was made up on the premise of his rules, albeit after his dying.”
Noteworthy, after 2014, Ukraine began demolishing monuments to Lenin.
About political prisoners
“There are political prisoners in each nation. They’ve at all times been and can at all times be. One mustn’t commit prison offense and conceal behind political actions.”
In regards to the regulation on overseas brokers
“I agree, there’s little good right here, however it was not Russia that coined this regulation. This regulation was coined in the US, which many see because the beacon of democracy, again within the Nineteen Thirties. We don’t prohibit the work of such organizations. We solely need organizations engaged in inner political actions in Russia to declare their sources of funding.”
On the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol
“We had been put in a state of affairs during which we couldn’t act in any other case. We needed to act — and that is how the disaster emerged in 2014.”
In regards to the gasoline disaster in Europe
“Gazprom provides the complete quantity that our counterparties ask for underneath present contracts. It additionally elevated the provides by 20 %. That is the one firm, the one nation that acts like this. For instance, American suppliers eliminated liquefied gasoline from the European market and redirected it to premium markets of China and different international locations, as a result of they pay extra there.”
About torture in jail
“With regard to torture and, generally, merciless mistreatment of individuals in locations of detention. Sadly, this can be a downside that doesn’t relate to Russia alone. This can be a worldwide downside.”
“When assessing this example, one must depend on the findings of the investigation. Seventeen prison circumstances have been initiated. And they’re being investigated. A few dozen officers have been dismissed.”
“Sure, there’s a downside. We have to work with it calmly, counting on conscientious investigation of those crimes — and these are crimes — which were dedicated.”
About the way forward for Donbass
“The way forward for Donbass needs to be decided by the individuals who reside in Donbass. Russia is a mediator, and so they need to make us a celebration to the battle. This isn’t a part of the Minsk Accords, and we didn’t comply with that.”
“The Minsk Accords really envisage the autonomy of the Donbass. It’s essential to amend the structure of Ukraine, maintain elections, maintain an amnesty, however Kiev just isn’t doing any of that.”
In regards to the assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya and Boris Nemtsov
“I did every thing to resolve these crimes. (…) A variety of individuals have been jailed for the dedicated crimes. Some consider that they aren’t those who ordered the assassinations, that those who ordered them have escaped, however the investigation just isn’t conscious of this. We’ve executed every thing to reveal these accountable for these crimes. Typically, this settling of scores causes nothing however hurt to our nation.”
About new ethics
“I’m of the assumption {that a} girl is a girl, a person is a person, a mom is a mom, and a father is a father.”
“I hope that our society has interior ethical safety dictated by spiritual confessions.”
“We’ve to be progressive and take every thing that helps us develop, be on the march. (…) However I hope that our peoples, the peoples of Russia, have sufficient inner, visceral, immune programs to shield themselves from this, as I mentioned, bigotry. One mustn’t combat this by shouting — one ought to help our conventional values.”
In regards to the boycott of the Olympics in China
“This choice [the decision of the United States and a number of other countries of the West to boycott the upcoming Olympic Games] is unacceptable and inaccurate. I spoke a very long time in the past about with one of many former US presidents — guess which one — and he advised me: boycotts of the Olympics had been a giant mistake, together with on the a part of the US, however the US continues taking place that highway once more.”
“That is an try and restrain the event of the Folks’s Republic of China, there isn’t any different motive. Sport should unite, and when sport is disadvantaged of this core worth, the complete human neighborhood is broken. However there’s nothing to do about it — everybody makes errors, nevertheless, not everybody makes them many times. The reason being the identical — to restrain growth, to forestall rivals from elevating their heads.”
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