Putin Admits He Wished Russia Had Invaded Ukraine Earlier
Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that, with hindsight, Russia should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine sooner.
Putin made the assertion during his year-end address last night, hosting a marathon news conference and Q&A session where he tackled a number of issues.
When commenting on the 2022 invasion – which he has consistently referred to as a special military operation – Putin said that more systemic preparation could have been useful. His comments emerged while discussing Russia’s military activities and the war it has been waging against Ukraine since Crimea’s annexation in 2014.
Putin’s appearance (which was aired live across the Russian state television) was an opportunity for the leader to speak about the country’s accomplishments, which according to him included the recovery of the country’s sovereignty in the years after the Soviet empire’s disintegration.
He compared Russia’s current state to that of Boris Yeltsin’s Russia, claiming that under his leadership, the country had avoided a complete loss of sovereignty. At the same time, Putin also admitted the pressure of the ongoing war, the effects of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia’s economy.
The other issues discussed at the press conference were Russia’s stance in Syria and on the nuclear issue. When asked if the regime of Syria’s Russian ally Bashar al-Assad had been defeated, Putin quickly dismissed the idea but also acknowledged that the situation was “complicated”.
On the topic of nuclear warfare, Putin discussed Russia’s new doctrine, which allows the use of nuclear weapons in response to conventional attacks backed by nuclear powers, further taking note that there is increasingly tense global dynamics.
Meanwhile, the Russian leader also addressed the upcoming change in administration across the Atlantic, saying he had not spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump in over four years but was “ready” for potential talks with him. This comes, of course, amidst expectations that Trump’s administration will push for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.
Despite the serious topics discussed, the conference was marked by a somewhat light-hearted moment when Putin joked about the naming of Russia’s new missile, the Oreshnik, suggesting that even he had no clue how it was named.
What do you make of Putin’s comments?
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