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Putin press conference: don't blame me for Democrats' election loss – live | Putin press conference: don't blame me for Democrats' election loss – live |
(35 minutes later) | |
12.12pm GMT | |
12:12 | |
Will Putin stand again as president? This comes from Andrey Kolesnikov, celebrated correspondent for the Kommersant newspaper. Russia’s next election is due 2018. It would surprise no-one if Putin did stand for a fourth presidential term. | |
Putin says he’ll look at the state of the world and Russia, have a think and then decide. This sounds to me like a yes. | |
12.08pm GMT | |
12:08 | |
Putin expresses condolences to the victims of Monday's terror attack in Berlin | |
Ah! A question in German. Putin speaks German fluently from his time as a KGB spy in Dresden. What does he make of the terror attack in Berlin? And the death yesterday aged 80 of Stalin’s grandson Yevgeny Dzhugashvili? | |
Putin talks about Russia’s relations with Germany. Russia hasn’t started anything and is merely responding to “anti-Russian sanctions”, he says. He asks: “Let’s look at what actually happened.” [He’s referring to events in Ukraine in 2014, which saw president Viktor Yanukovich flees to Russia following anti-government protests.] | |
He says Russia was merely responding to the “tragedy in the Donbas” in eastern Ukraine. “We didn’t initiate these events,” he repeats. “We don’t consider ourselves to be the guilty parties. | |
He sends his condolences to the victims of Monday’s terror attack in Berlin. He says western spy agencies have stopped cooperating with their Russian counterparts, making terrorism easier. | |
12.01pm GMT | |
12:01 | |
It’s a “tough question” now. A lot of your friends have been given influential jobs and got state awards. They have become regional governors across Russia, one journalist says, citing various examples. “Did you do this specially?”, he asks. | |
The question is indeed a good one: many of Putin’s old school-friends and cronies from St Petersburg are now billionaires (though the journalist doesn’t mention this.) Putin says he’s appointed these people for the good of Russia. They are effective, energetic and reliable, he says. | |
11.49am GMT | |
11:49 | |
Now it’s the turn of Lenta.Ru, an online news portal. (Its editor was fired after printing an interview with a Ukrainian ultra-nationalist, in a blow to Russia’s already squeezed independent media.) The question is rather disappointing, about the treatment of animals. | |
Not everyone is finding this scintillating: | |
Putin's big annual press conference. Hour one. pic.twitter.com/HxD7AlWwN5 | |
Shaun Walker isn’t having a great time, either: | |
At 2hrs48, Putin presser approaching the length of two football matches. My laptop has 40% power left & frankly I'd back VVP to outlast it. | |
11.49am GMT | |
11:49 | |
11.45am GMT | |
11:45 | |
And now an interesting question from a Kurdish journalist. Russia is playing a big role in the world, especially in the Middle East. What does Russia think about the fact that Iraqi Kurds are on the way to independence? | |
Putin says Russia has always had a very good relationship with the Kurds. They’ve had a tough destiny, he says. He says the Kurds have fought very effectively against terrorism. On sovereignty, Putin says everything must be done according to international law. What happens next is up to Iraq and the Kurds, he adds. | |
11.42am GMT | |
11:42 | |
Putin gets a question from the North Caucasus. This is Russia’s Muslim south where a largely unreported war has been going on between Islamist rebels and federal and local security forces. The area has suffered from “international terrorism”. Should the term “Islamic State” be banned? Putin doesn’t agree. | |
He moves onto another question about Russia’s road-building programme in the north of the country. Roads are an old favourite at these events. A good transport system is important, Putin says. | |
11.36am GMT | 11.36am GMT |
11:36 | 11:36 |
We’ve been going for two-and-a-half hours now and my neck is beginning to hurt. Putin is talking about Crimea again. He says he will step up electricity production to the peninsula, which has suffered from shortages and blackouts. His audience applauds. | We’ve been going for two-and-a-half hours now and my neck is beginning to hurt. Putin is talking about Crimea again. He says he will step up electricity production to the peninsula, which has suffered from shortages and blackouts. His audience applauds. |
11.31am GMT | 11.31am GMT |
11:31 | 11:31 |
The later stages of Putin’s press conferences can go anywhere, frankly. Putin is now talking about chess. He says Russia can be proud of its chess players and its specialist chess schools. The chess centre in Sochi - scene of Russia’s 2014 Winter Olympics - is doing good things, he says. | The later stages of Putin’s press conferences can go anywhere, frankly. Putin is now talking about chess. He says Russia can be proud of its chess players and its specialist chess schools. The chess centre in Sochi - scene of Russia’s 2014 Winter Olympics - is doing good things, he says. |
Putin praises Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian world number one and winner of this month’s Fide world championship in New York. Carlsen was playing against the Crimean-born and Russian-affiliated challenger Sergey Karjakin. | Putin praises Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian world number one and winner of this month’s Fide world championship in New York. Carlsen was playing against the Crimean-born and Russian-affiliated challenger Sergey Karjakin. |
11.28am GMT | 11.28am GMT |
11:28 | 11:28 |
11.26am GMT | 11.26am GMT |
11:26 | 11:26 |
Now something from RT, the Kremlin’s international propaganda channel! Americans love to talk about democracy. Now people think the recent US election wasn’t democratic at all. What does Putin think? | Now something from RT, the Kremlin’s international propaganda channel! Americans love to talk about democracy. Now people think the recent US election wasn’t democratic at all. What does Putin think? |
Putin says the US electoral system is “archaic” and “unfair” but that ultimately this is a matter for the American people. He says America is “a great country”. | Putin says the US electoral system is “archaic” and “unfair” but that ultimately this is a matter for the American people. He says America is “a great country”. |
Oliver Carroll of the Moscow Times is unimpressed with this question: | Oliver Carroll of the Moscow Times is unimpressed with this question: |
Brilliant, cutting, unscripted question fm @RT_com: “Americans talk abt democracy more than anyone, and now they complain. Am I right, VV?” | Brilliant, cutting, unscripted question fm @RT_com: “Americans talk abt democracy more than anyone, and now they complain. Am I right, VV?” |
11.20am GMT | 11.20am GMT |
11:20 | 11:20 |
One of the most amusing commentators on Twitter is @DarthPutinKGB, a parody account that pokes fun at Russia’s leader. After a somewhat slow start this morning he’s just tweeted this: | One of the most amusing commentators on Twitter is @DarthPutinKGB, a parody account that pokes fun at Russia’s leader. After a somewhat slow start this morning he’s just tweeted this: |
I like when journalists ask me multiple questions. That way I can ignore the awkward one, joke about the easy one and lie about the hard one | I like when journalists ask me multiple questions. That way I can ignore the awkward one, joke about the easy one and lie about the hard one |