Putin’s press conference sent a four-hour ＂news feast＂ to respond sharply to sensitive topics.
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Li Xiajun) On the 23rd local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a large-scale annual press conference in Moscow in 2016. In the face of more than 1,400 journalists, Putin answered 67 questions raised by 48 journalists at a nearly four-hour press conference.
Russia’s national defense and military development, whether it will run for the 2018 presidential election, Russia-Turkey relations after the assassination of Russian ambassador, and the trend of Russia-US relations after Trump’s election … … At the press conference, Putin did not shy away from sensitive issues and responded sharply. At the end of the year, he once again sent a "news feast" to the international media.
Responding to the assassination of the Russian ambassador: investigating all the details and finding out all the murderers
Previously, Russian experts believed that the main topic of this Putin press conference would be the internal agenda, including social and economic fields and social and political life. However, on the eve of this press conference, the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey shocked world public opinion. At Putin’s press conference, Russian diplomatic topics such as Russian-Turkish relations were frequently asked by reporters.
Regarding the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Putin said at a press conference that Russia will pay close attention to all the details identified during the investigation of the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Karlov.
We will further investigate all the details of the incident and find out all the murderers. Putin pointed out that he paid close attention to all major cases, including the murder of politician nemtsov.
Regarding whether this incident will once again destroy the newly restored Russian-Turkish relations, Putin clearly said "no". He said that because Russia understands the significance and importance of Russian-Turkish relations, it will make every effort to develop bilateral relations.
On the trend of Russia-US relations: willing to establish constructive relations with Trump
At the annual Russian presidential press conference, Russia-US relations are almost a compulsory question for the Russian president. Next month, the new US President Trump, who is regarded by public opinion as likely to improve Russia-US relations, will officially take office. Whether Russia-US relations can break the ice in the future has attracted international attention.
When commenting on Trump at the request of a reporter, Putin said that no one was optimistic about Trump being president before, "except us."
"I hope that we can establish a transactional and constructive relationship with the president-elect of the United States and the future leader of the Democratic Party, so that both Russia and the United States and their peoples can benefit." Putin said.
Putin pointed out that a solid state-to-state relationship can be built on the basis of mutual affection between the Russian and American peoples. He said: "American Republicans have a good impression on the Russian president. I think this is a good prerequisite for building a good relationship."
Putin recalled that Trump had previously said that the relationship between the United States and Russia had bottomed out and would not get worse, and he agreed.
Putin said that if Trump invited him to visit the United States, he would of course be invited. He also said that in his first meeting with US President-elect Trump, he planned to discuss the normalization of Russia-US relations.
Talking about relations with the West: It is difficult to talk about combating terrorism under the circumstances of sanctions against Russia.
At the press conference, Putin also talked about his own views on the current relationship between Russia and the West. When talking about Europe, Putin said that we need strong partners, and Europeans need to solve problems such as the immigration crisis themselves.
Putin said that Russia will seek to develop relations with Europe. If Russia and the EU cannot reach an overall consensus, then we will develop relations with some EU countries.
On counter-terrorism, Putin called on the international community to unite to fight terrorism. He pointed out that the western countries imposed sanctions on Russia and gave up their cooperation. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to talk about effectively fighting terrorism. He himself expressed regret that Europe "did not fight".
A reporter asked Putin how he views the relationship with western countries in 2017. Putin said that Russia is not the initiator of the deterioration of relations, and Moscow has not introduced any sanctions, but only responded to the sanctions against the Russian economy. If the EU lifts the sanctions, Russia is willing to lift the anti-sanctions.
On sino-Russian relations: cherish and hope to further develop bilateral relations
In addition to Russia-US relations, Putin also focused on Sino-Russian relations at the press conference, saying that China is Russia’s largest trading partner at the economic level, and Russia cherishes Russia-China relations and hopes to further develop them.
"We share the same position with China on many issues in the international arena. Of course, I am convinced that this is and will be a stabilizing factor in all international affairs. We cherish our relations with China and hope to further develop bilateral relations. ". Putin said.
Putin pointed out: "As we all know, the relationship between Russia and China has reached a very high level, and we are used to using the term strategic cooperative partner. However, the cooperative relationship established between Russia and China in recent years exceeds the scope of general strategic cooperative partnership.".
In addition, he also congratulated China on the formal inclusion of RMB in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserve currency basket.
On Russian defense development: the strength of Russian army exceeds that of any potential aggressor country.
Russia’s national defense and military issues have always been one of the focus topics attracting international media. When talking about Russia’s national defense issues, Putin said at this annual press conference that Russia is fully implementing its national defense plan.
Putin said, "We have taken necessary measures to embark on the road of modernization. By 2021, the proportion of our new weapons should reach 70%, and now it is almost 50% in some areas, 60% in some areas, and 90% in nuclear power.
Putin also said that Russia does not deny that the US military is strong, but he believes that the Russian military is more powerful than any potential aggressor country.
"Officials of the current US government suddenly began to show that they are the most powerful. Indeed, the United States has more missiles, submarines and aircraft carriers, which we do not deny. What we are saying is that Russia is stronger than any potential aggressor country. " Putin said.
Putin said earlier that the current strength of the Russian army exceeds that of any potential aggressor country, but in order to maintain this position, it is necessary to continue to modernize the army, navy and military training system.
On the 2018 presidential election: we will review the domestic and international situation before deciding whether to run for the election.
Before this reporter, Russian political scientists believed that Putin’s participation in the 2018 presidential election might be raised at the press conference.
As expected by experts, at the press conference, when the chief reporter of The Wall Street Journal asked if it was possible to hold the presidential election in advance in 2017, Putin asked: "Which country?" The reporter explained that he was asking about the Russian presidential election. Putin replied: "It is possible, but it is not appropriate."
Putin said that he will review the domestic and world situation and make a decision on whether to participate in the next presidential election.
"My answer is the standard answer. When the time is ripe, I will look at the situation at home and abroad. Based on the measures we have taken and the measures we can and should take, I will decide whether to participate in the future presidential election. " Putin said.