Speaking at his annual end-of-the-year press briefing in Moscow, President Putin said the position of his country on the Syrian conflict is unchanged. “Of course we welcome it”, Putin told reporters.
Advertisement
Russia’s track and field federation was suspended by the IAAF after a World Anti-Doping Agency panel accused the country of operating a widespread, state-sponsored doping program and covering up positive tests. Moscow insists that the plane, with 224 on board, was brought down by a bomb, but Egypt maintains that there was no sign of a terrorist act in the crash.
But he signalled Moscow was not yet ready to withdraw its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying a new constitution needed to be drawn up and elections held to determine the fate of the conflict-torn country.
But despite a downward trend in oil prices, the Russian government will not rush to adjust its budget, Putin said. He said the air links will be restored after Russian and Egyptian officials work out a set of measures to ensure safety, including the presence of Russian representatives at Egyptian airports.
“We will help settle this crisis in every possible way”, Putin said.
“I believe we will have a very good relationship with Russian Federation”.
Vladimir Putin ducked a question about the identity of his daughters Thursday as he faced journalists at his annual televised news conference.
He said that he had previously agreed to accommodate Turkey’s concerns regarding Syria, adding that the Turkish leadership had never asked Russian Federation to refrain from striking that specific area.
“My daughters live in Russian Federation and studied only in Russian Federation, I am proud of them”, he said. Even there when we say “yes” and we agree, they hit us from behind or from the side, moreover, for unknown reasons.
The Kremlin strongman meanwhile accused the Turkish government of toadying to Washington, as he addressed the downing of a Russian bomber at the Syrian border by Ankara last month. Putin urged the Ukrainian government to swiftly approve legislation on holding local elections in Ukraine, but he said the Ukrainian authorities were dragging their feet on the issue.
While oil prices had fallen sharply, he said, manufacturing had shown slight growth and there was a healthy trade balance in agriculture. More than 9,000 people have been killed.
According to the Interfax report, Putin said “It’s not our job to judge his qualities, that’s a job for American voters, but he’s the absolute leader in the presidential race”.
Advertisement
Mr Putin said Russian Federation has had no regular troops in eastern Ukraine.
