Russian president says future prisoner swaps with US are doable and Russia’s hypersonic weapons would defend it if attacked.
Russia won’t promote oil to any nation that imposes a worth cap on its oil exports and is contemplating decreasing its oil manufacturing, President Vladimir Putin says.
On Monday, the Group of Seven, European Union and Australia imposed a worth restrict on Russian oil of $60 per barrel in a transfer geared toward decreasing Moscow’s potential to finance its warfare in Ukraine.
“I’ve already stated that we merely won’t promote to these international locations that make such choices,” Putin stated on Friday at a information convention held after a regional summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek.
“We are going to contemplate a doable discount in manufacturing if vital,” he added, calling the worth cap a “silly choice” that’s “dangerous to international power markets”.
Putin additionally touched on a number of different topics through the information convention. Right here’s a roundup of what he stated:
- “Who’s Yashin?” requested the Russian chief, responding to a query from a reporter. Just some hours earlier, opposition chief Ilya Yashin, 39, was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail for spreading “faux info”. Yashin was indicted after discussing proof of Russian atrocities perpetrated within the Ukrainian metropolis of Bucha, north of Kyiv, casting doubts on the Kremlin’s narrative that stated such studies had been fabricated as a “provocation” in opposition to Russia. Putin stated it was mistaken to doubt a court docket’s choice.
- Putin stated additional prisoner swaps between the USA and Russia had been doable and contacts between the 2 international locations’ intelligence providers would proceed. He made the remark a day after US basketball star Brittney Griner was swapped for arms seller Viktor Bout. “Contacts proceed. In truth, they’ve by no means stopped,” Putin stated. “… We don’t reject persevering with this work sooner or later.” Russia continues to carry Paul Whelan, a former US marine who was convicted of espionage in 2020 in a trial that US diplomats stated had been unfair and opaque.
- Putin stated Russia has no mandate to launch a preventive first nuclear strike, not like the US, however Russia’s superior hypersonic weapons would guarantee Russia may reply forcefully if it ever got here below assault.
- The Russian chief acknowledged issues with procuring tools and garments for the a whole bunch of 1000’s of troops Moscow has conscripted to battle in Ukraine in latest months. He stated among the points associated to supplying the 300,000 males who had been referred to as up in a mobilisation drive in September and October had been now easing.
- Putin stated he was “upset” by feedback made by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who informed a German journal that peace agreements geared toward ending the battle in jap Ukraine that started in 2014 had been an try to “give Ukraine time” to construct up its defences. Russia-backed separatists seized elements of jap Ukraine following Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The peace offers had been by no means totally carried out.
- Putin stated Russia would seemingly have to succeed in a peace settlement relating to Ukraine sooner or later, however felt betrayed by the breakdown of the sooner Minsk agreements. Putin stated mediators Germany and France had betrayed Russia and had been now pumping Kyiv with weapons.