Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday used his annual televised call-in show, where he takes questions from Russians, to urge citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the country struggles to contain a new wave of the virus. Putin also talked about Ukraine, the standoff with a British warship in the Black Sea, relations with the United States (US) and the West, and the economy.
The Kremlin released a transcript of Putin’s “direct line” with Russians, which can be found here.
Here are the major highlights from Putin’s call-in:
COVID-19
As a new wave of the COVID-19 sweeps Russia, Vladimir Putin said that “vaccination is the only way to put an end to further spread of the pandemic,” while trying to alleviate the fears of those sceptical of getting the vaccine. “We can do this since we have four high-tech, safe and very effective vaccines. So, I hope some of our citizens who are still biased about the vaccines will change their minds as the vaccination continues,” Putin noted. He added that around 23 million Russians had been inoculated with Russian vaccines, and there have been no “tragic vaccination side effects,” unlike with AstraZeneca or Pfizer shots.
The Russian President also narrated his experience of getting vaccinated. “I believed that I needed to be protected for as long as possible, and so I chose to be vaccinated with Sputnik V, especially considering that the military is getting vaccinated with Sputnik V, and I am their Supreme Commander, after all,” he said. He added that after about 20 days since getting the vaccine, he had a blood test which showed a “high level of protection.”
When asked about the issue of mandatory vaccination, Putin commented that he did not approve of it. “I do not support mandatory vaccination, and I continue to adhere to this point of view,” he remarked. However, he mentioned that “in the event of an increase in the number of cases and the event of an epidemic in separate regions of the Russian Federation and upon the recommendation of chief sanitary doctors, regional heads can introduce mandatory vaccination for certain groups of people, especially risk groups.”
As for questions regarding the imposition of a nationwide lockdown, the Russian President hoped there would be no need for it. He said that “when entire enterprises are shut down, and people find themselves out of work or without income; small and medium-sized businesses go bankrupt and individual incomes decline.”
Ukraine
On being asked why Ukraine is not listed among “unfriendly countries,” Putin said it is because “I do not regard Ukraine as unfriendly towards Russia. I have noted many times, and I can repeat once again that, in my opinion, Ukrainians and Russians are a single people.” However, he was critical of the Ukrainian government, which he said is “clearly unfriendly” towards Russia. Additionally, he denounced the recent draft law on Indigenous peoples introduced by the Ukrainian leadership that states that Russians are not indigenous to Ukraine. “It defies comprehension,” Putin noted his disapproval of the law, adding, “[It] would reduce the overall number of Russians. This effect will be comparable to the negative impact of weapons of mass destruction. This is serious.”
When asked whether he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin said there was no point in such a meeting. “Why meet with Zelensky if he has accepted the full external management of his country? The main issues concerning Ukraine’s functioning are not decided in Kyiv but Washington and, partly, in Berlin and Paris. What is there to talk about then?” Putin commented.
Also Read: Russia Tests S-400 Missiles in Crimea Amid Tensions With Ukraine
Standoff with a British warship in the Black Sea
On last week’s confrontation with a British warship in the Black Sea, Putin called Britain’s action provocative. “What did they want to show, and which goals did they want to achieve?” Putin said, adding that “it was not only carried out by the British but also the Americans.” Putin mentioned that the Russian military “observed” a United States (US) spy plane flying out of a NATO military base in Greece on the same day as the standoff with the British warship.
Moreover, he noted that the only goal of such a provocation was to “underscore that those people [the Americans and British] do not respect Crimeans’ choice” to join Russia. “Even if we had sunk the ship, it is hard to imagine that the world would have been on the verge of World War Three because those doing it [the provocation] know that they could not emerge as victors from such a war,” Putin said defiantly.
Last week, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that after the British Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Defender entered three kilometres into its territorial waters, it fired warning shots to halt its advance. In addition, a Russian SU-24 jet also dropped four bombs in the Defender’s path to deter it from proceeding further.
Also Read: UK, Russia Continue to Spar Over Warship Confrontation in the Black Sea
Relations With the United States
On the US-Russia ties, Putin hoped that the relations would improve. “I hope that the realisation that the world is changing, as well as the need to reassess our priorities and interests in this fluctuating world, will lead to a better world order for our [international] relations, including with the United States,” he said.
Also Read: SUMMARY: Biden-Putin Meeting in Geneva
Economy
Several aspects of the Russian economy, including the rise in the inflation rate, were discussed by Putin, who mentioned that since the inflation rate in Russia has gone up to 5.9%, “the Central Bank has increased its key interest rate slightly to avoid an excessive money supply in the economy.” This, Putin said, would ensure that the inflation rate gets back to its target indicator of 4%, adding that the rise in the inflation rate was “caused by the changes in the situation in many world markets for commodities, in particular, metals.”
When asked about increasing food prices, Putin said: “The global food price indices are the highest in 10 years. Regrettably, this is a global trend; food prices are increasing everywhere.” He mentioned that the government was taking steps to address the issue. The Russian President also talked about agriculture, labour welfare, industry and production, and housing while vowing to address the challenges in these sectors.
On a possible successor
On being asked whether there was anyone he trusted to hand over power, Putin answered: “On the one hand, there are no sacred places and there are no irreplaceable people [and] on the other hand, of course, my responsibility consists in giving recommendations to those people who will pretend to the position of the president.” He added that “when the time comes, I will be able to say who, in my opinion, is worthy to head Russia.”