Putin's Post-CSTO Council Meeting Presser

President’s Tokayev and Putin made statements to media followed by a Q&A session with Putin. The media statement included results of the state visit along with the CSTO meeting. Tokayev being the host begins the proceedings with a larger recap that Putin follows up with one not as detailed. As you see from the above photo, many media members are old-hands with very few women to be seen. Let’s read what they said:

K.-Zh.: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for accepting my invitation to pay a state visit to Kazakhstan. Your state visit was a truly historic event, marking an important milestone in the development of Kazakh-Russian relations.

For Kazakhstan, Russia is a strategic partner and reliable ally. We are united by unbreakable ties of friendship, centuries-old good neighborliness and a common history. Based on these enduring values, our states have built meaningful relations that look to the future. Kazakh-Russian cooperation has reached an unprecedented level, covering almost all key areas of interaction. Political dialogue is steadily developing, trade and economic cooperation is expanding, and cultural and humanitarian ties are becoming more active.

The meetings and negotiations that took place today in narrow and extended formats were characterized by efficiency, frankness and became really effective. We discussed a wide range of topical issues on the bilateral agenda, outlined promising areas of our strategic partnership, and agreed that, despite the difficult geopolitical situation, bilateral relations are dynamically developing along an ascending line.

Priority attention was paid to economic issues during the negotiations. The main tasks were to deepen cooperation in strategic sectors and further increase mutual trade turnover.

To this end, a package of intergovernmental documents has already been adopted, including the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Program for 2021-2025 and the Joint Action Plan for 2024-2026.

An updated Intergovernmental Program for Interregional and Cross-border Cooperation between the two countries was signed within the framework of the Interregional Cooperation forum.

Russia is one of Kazakhstan's main trading partners and is one of the top three investors in our economy. In turn, for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, Kazakhstan has entered the top five largest trading partners of Russia, which undoubtedly indicates the presence of a strong and high potential of our cooperation. I am convinced that if this positive trend continues, we will be able to surpass the $ 30 billion threshold in mutual trade in the next couple of years.

The volume of direct Russian investments in Kazakhstan's economy has exceeded $ 24 billion, of which more than $ 4.5 billion has been invested in the last two years alone. Kazakhstan's accumulated investment in the Russian economy has reached an impressive $ 8.5 billion.

In addition, there are about 24,000 companies with Russian participation operating in Kazakhstan, which is almost half of the total number of enterprises with foreign capital operating in our country.

These indicators confirm the high level of trust and mutual interest in further strengthening our strategic relations.

Significant progress has been made in the industrial sector. 93 joint projects worth more than $ 18 billion have been launched. Currently, 49 more projects are being implemented with a total investment of almost $ 30 billion.

Special attention should be paid to large-scale initiatives aimed at gasification of a number of regions of Kazakhstan, increasing the volume of transit of Russian energy resources in the southern and eastern directions, and construction and modernization of large energy facilities in our country. Priority is given to unlocking transit potential through the development of key transport corridors.

We also discussed the prospects for implementing projects, including the construction of a highway to Mongolia and the active use of the Trans-Afghan Transport Corridor.

I am confident that the full implementation of all these initiatives in the North–South direction fully meets the fundamental interests of the friendly peoples of our countries.

A special place in the economic agenda is occupied by the Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia. Today, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I took part in the XX anniversary forum held in the capital of Bashkortostan via teleconference. I am sure that the results of the Ufa forum will give an additional impetus to our interregional contacts in a wide range of areas. In this regard, I would like to note that a decision has been made to open the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Aktau, Mangystau region, in the near future.

We attach great importance to cooperation in the scientific, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The Kazakh-Russian scientific forum of historians was held in Astana yesterday. Yesterday, a meeting of leaders of volunteer movements of the two countries was organized in Alma-Ata, and tomorrow a meeting of the joint expert council will be held.

These events are designed to make a significant contribution to strengthening cooperation between our countries. We firmly support comprehensive and systematic support for large-scale cultural and humanitarian initiatives at the state level. In this vein, I decided to open the Alley of Eternal Kazakh-Russian Friendship in Astana next spring, where residents and guests of the capital will be able to comfortably spend their leisure time.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Russian side for its active participation in the V World Nomad Games held in Astana in early September. The representative national team of the Russian Federation, approximately 180 people, showed high results in various sports.

In 2026, Kazakhstan will host the third Games of the Future. This unique tournament, initiated by Russia, combines traditional sports and esports. I would like to note the Days of Astana Culture in Moscow, which were held in August of this year and found a wide response among Moscow and foreign audiences.

A significant event was the opening of the bust of the great Kazakh poet and thinker Abay Kunanbayuly in Kazan. In addition, on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the audience was able to enjoy a masterpiece of Kazakh national classics-the opera "Abai". In the coming years, large-scale exhibitions of Kazakhstan are planned in the walls of the legendary museums-the Tretyakov Gallery and the Hermitage.

All this confirms the desire of our fraternal peoples to strengthen intercultural ties through new formats of interaction.

Cooperation in the field of education is steadily increasing. More than 60 thousand Kazakhstani students study at Russian universities, which indicates the demand for the Russian educational standard and the interest of the two countries in a comprehensive exchange of knowledge and experience.

As a follow-up to previously reached agreements, seven branches of leading Russian technical educational institutions have been opened in Kazakhstan. A branch of MGIMO University in Astana will soon open its doors. Today, a branch of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University was opened in Omsk, which will become the first representative office of a Kazakh university in Russia.

At the same time, the prospects for building Kazakh schools in the border regions of Russia, as well as schools with Russian participation in Kazakhstan: in Zhambyl, Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions are discussed. All this will strengthen educational ties and provide new opportunities for the younger generation of the two countries.

The Russian language is an important factor that unites our peoples. I would like to emphasize that a third of all children studying in Kazakhstan's schools receive education in Russian. In Kazakhstan, we attach great importance to this issue, and that is why I proposed to establish an International Organization for the Russian Language.

Another important topic of the talks was the support of compatriots living in Kazakhstan and Russia. The signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Otandastar Foundation and Rossotrudnichestvo would be important here. Such agreements play a special role in strengthening mutual understanding between our peoples and find a positive response from the general public.

During today's meeting, Mr Putin and I discussed in detail the dynamics of cooperation between our countries in a multilateral format and exchanged constructive views on the most pressing issues of regional and global politics.

I note with satisfaction our full mutual understanding on cooperation within such important regional associations as the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Union, the SCO, the CSTO, the CICA and others. Today, there is practically no direction in which our countries do not cooperate.

What is especially important, there are no controversial issues between Kazakhstan and Russia, we always find balanced solutions that take into account the interests of the two states as much as possible. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the distinguished President of Russia for his tireless personal attention to strengthening friendly relations between our peoples.

We have a lot of joint work ahead of us, and we have a solid foundation for 2025. We will have to implement a large number of joint projects, which, I am sure, will bring tangible benefits to both citizens and businesses of our countries.

January of next year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the fundamental interstate documents-the Agreement on the Kazakh-Russian state Border. Big anniversaries are also waiting for us in 2025: the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the 70th anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. We have agreed to hold festive events in our countries on the occasion of all these significant dates. As you can see, the bilateral agenda is regularly updated with specific initiatives and new interesting projects.

In conclusion, I would like to note once again that Kazakhstan and Russia consistently follow the path of strengthening strategic partnership, laying the foundation for the progress and well-being of our peoples, especially the younger generation. I am confident that the positive results of today's events will allow us to bring our allied relations to a qualitatively new level.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich,

First of all, thank you very much for the invitation. At your suggestion, this visit has been given the status of a state visit, but I would like to note that the protocol, in this case solemn, signs of attention of our delegation did not prevent us from working fruitfully, which, in fact, is typical of our regular meetings with you.

We discussed in detail a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and humanitarian fields. They exchanged views on the most relevant regional and international issues. The Joint Statement just signed sets new ambitious goals for further deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. Numerous intergovernmental and interagency documents covering a wide variety of areas of cooperation, from energy and transport to healthcare and justice, will also contribute to their implementation.

Both sides noted that last year's bilateral trade turnover – as we have already said many times today-came very close to the $ 30 billion mark. According to our statistics, it is 28.4 [billion dollars], and in January–September of this year it exceeded 20 billion dollars. At the same time, the structure of counter-trade is constantly diversifying, and non-primary products with high added value are taking an increasing place in it. The share of national currencies in mutual settlements is almost 90 percent, which makes it possible to protect commercial transactions between the two countries from the negative impact of external, including political, conditions.

Our country is one of the largest investors in Kazakhstan. The total volume of accumulated Russian investments, this was also mentioned, is $ 13 billion. There are more than 23 thousand business structures with Russian participation in the country and more than 60 major joint projects are being implemented, and in all key sectors of the Kazakh economy.

Bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is steadily developing. Thanks to the activities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, the bulk of Kazakhstan's oil exported to foreign markets passes through Russia and the Russian port infrastructure on the Black Sea. In turn, Russian oil is sent to China via Kazakhstan. In addition, our country imports Kazakh coal, and mutual electricity supplies are carried out.

Construction of three new thermal power plants in Kazakhstan is on the agenda. Gazprom continuously supplies gas to Kazakhstani consumers and processes fuel from the Karachaganak field at the Orenburg Gas Chemical Complex. And since last year, gas from Russia has been pumped in transit through Kazakhstan to neighboring Uzbekistan, and we will increase such supplies.

Russian-Kazakh cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy is progressing. Six joint ventures for the extraction and enrichment of uranium are actively operating. Companies in our countries are implementing a number of large-scale successful projects in the mechanical engineering, chemical industry, and mineral fertilizer production. Rostselmash produces state-of-the-art combine harvesters, tractors and parts for agricultural machinery at its plants in Kazakhstan. During the talks, issues of cooperation in the transport and logistics sector were discussed: both sides are interested in further expanding counter transportation by rail and air. The development of the North–South international corridor from Russia to India, the eastern section of which crosses Kazakhstan, opens up good prospects for this.

It is important that our Kazakh friends and I have managed to maintain and increase close cooperation in the field of space research: the Baikonur cosmodrome is still being operated, and the Baiterek project is being implemented, which provides for the creation of a new rocket and space complex for launching the promising Russian Soyuz-5 launch vehicle. We expect that the first launch from Baiterek will take place as planned next year.

In parallel with our visit to Astana, Ufa is hosting the XX anniversary Russian-Kazakh Forum of Regions. I won't stop here separately, because we just talked with colleagues who work in Ufa, and of course the press representatives have everything.

During the talks, much attention was also paid to the issues of humanitarian cooperation, expansion of cooperation in culture, sports, public youth circles and, of course, in the field of education. About 60 thousand Kazakhstani students study in Russian universities. Branches of many leading Russian universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, have been operating successfully in Kazakhstan for a long time, and today an intergovernmental agreement was signed on the activities of the branch of Chelyabinsk State University in Kostanay. The MGIMO branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation will soon start operating in Astana. By the way, MGIMO celebrated its 80th anniversary this year, and a major international conference dedicated to this anniversary was held in Astana in September. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich [Tokayev], who, as you know, graduated from this higher educational institution, also spoke at it.

We highly appreciate that the Russian language is widely and freely used in Kazakhstan, we see that it is strongly supported by the republic's leadership, and we are grateful to the President of Kazakhstan for the initiative to establish an international organization for the Russian language, whose activities, I am sure, will contribute to its support and promotion as a means of interstate and interethnic communication.

Russia supports the construction of new Russian-language schools in Kazakhstan and overall improvement of the quality of education in Russian. We plan to open three more such schools in Kazakhstan in the near future.

When considering key international issues, it was confirmed that the positions of Russia and Kazakhstan are very close on most of them, and our countries coordinate approaches in the UN and other multilateral formats. This year, Russia is chairing the CIS and BRICS, while Kazakhstan is chairing the CSTO and SCO. As you know, the BRICS leaders ' meeting decided to establish a new category of BRICS partner states. A list of candidate countries for this category has been agreed, and an invitation to join BRICS in this capacity has also been sent to Kazakhstan.

Of course, we are waiting for Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich on December 24-25 in St. Petersburg at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the traditional informal meeting of CIS leaders.

In 2025, the peoples of our countries will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, our common Victory. It is important that both Russia and Kazakhstan remember and honor the feat of our fathers and grandfathers who fought shoulder to shoulder against Nazism, and we will certainly continue to do everything so that future generations will not forget the price we managed to defend peace and freedom. It was with great pleasure that we invited the President of Kazakhstan to take part together with other foreign leaders in the anniversary celebrations in Moscow on May 9.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that we are certainly satisfied with the results of our negotiations. I am confident that this visit and our talks will actually contribute to the further development of multi-faceted Russian-Kazakh cooperation, our relations for the benefit of our countries and peoples.

Thank you for your attention. [My Emphasis]

It’s great to see the more balanced relations between Russia and all the Central Asian nations that were rather colonial before and during the USSR’s life. The stronger development and advancement of those nations contributes more to Russian advancement than the old colonial relations that kept the ‘Stans weak. The strengthening of relations is vital to both Russian and ‘Stans’s security and future wellbeing. As I understand, Tokayev serves until 2029and cannot be reelected, so he has four full years to accomplish much more. Now for the presser:

Vladimir Putin: Good evening. I'm listening to you."

Question: Mr President, hello.

Olga Knyazeva, Channel One.

The state visit to Kazakhstan ends. You were met everywhere at the highest level. How do you assess the prospects for cooperation in the end?

Vladimir Putin: Good. Kazakhstan, as I have said many times, is not just our reliable ally and partner. It is very important that Kazakhstan is developing successfully under the leadership of President Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, demonstrating stable growth, very stable and reliable. The socio-political situation in the country is stable, which is very important for planning work in the economy and for investment.

We have billions of investments in the economy of Kazakhstan, as I have already said, the trade turnover is under 30 billion, and it is constantly growing. Traditionally, we have developed areas of cooperation. This includes space, energy, and high technologies. Currently, it is possible to expand cooperation in the field of nuclear energy on energy projects, as we are already working together. Kazakhstan is the largest producer of uranium in the world, and we are present in uranium deposits in Kazakhstan. We have good prospects in the industrial sector, especially in the field of cooperation.

One of the problems was and partly remains the problem of settlements, but we have already converted over 80 percent of all settlements into national currencies. And this, of course, facilitates our work in the financial sector.

Among other things, we also have humanitarian ties, and very good contacts at the universal level. Kazakhstan is practically a Russian-speaking country, as you probably felt yourself. And, unfortunately, there are always a lot of people with their own opinions about what should be done and how, and with their criticism of the ongoing processes, both in Russian society and in Kazakhstan. And this position, this criticism, does not always correspond to the interests of states, including the Russian state. This is not always beneficial. In my opinion, we should do everything possible to strengthen our relations. But in no case should we take steps that would destroy our relations.

For example, in the energy sector, we have traditional things here. Nevertheless, we may have very large projects in the field of transportation of our energy resources to third countries through the territory of Kazakhstan. And here, traditionally, there is a situation when in one of the regions of Kazakhstan there is not enough of the same natural gas, in other territories it is in excess. And it is more profitable for us to join forces, to supply something to Kazakhstan, to receive something from Kazakhstan with a sufficiently large territory of Kazakhstan itself and our large territories, than to develop it directly on our territory. Therefore, we are natural partners and allies.

I think we have very good prospects for the future. Yesterday, President Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich and I discussed these prospects all evening over dinner. I repeat once again: I rate them as extremely positive.

Question: Good afternoon. TV channel "Russia", Alexey Golovko.

You've already mentioned uranium. But still, a referendum was held in Kazakhstan this October, in which the overwhelming majority of citizens voted in favor of building a nuclear power plant. As far as we know, the contractor has not yet been selected. Did you specifically address this topic in your conversation with Mr. Tokayev? Maybe you somehow highlighted the merits of Rosatom? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course. We paid quite a lot of attention to this issue during our narrow and broad talks yesterday. Kazakhstan, if it implements its projects in the field of nuclear energy, then, of course, like any customer, has the right to choose the most acceptable technological solutions and financial schemes.

I think it is no coincidence that the Russian company Rosatom is the largest company of its kind in the world, including in terms of the number of nuclear power plants being built abroad. What is the reason for this? As I have repeatedly said, we are not just building power plants. As a rule, we create an industry in the country that starts this type of activity. We train personnel, supply the necessary materials, collect spent fuel, and so on, and contribute to the development of nuclear science.

And of course, the President of Kazakhstan, our Kazakh colleagues and friends – this type of activity is not new for them, they do not start from scratch. I repeat, we even have enterprises, they have enterprises for the extraction of uranium, for work in this area. They are well aware of what they want and what they are willing to pay for it and what they want to get. So we have a very professional conversation. If our partners, in this case in Kazakhstan, have a need and desire to apply some solutions, including technological solutions of third countries, to call on their specialists for joint work – this is also possible, and Rosatom has such experience of cooperation with foreign partners. We also discussed this yesterday.

The final decision is always up to the customer. But I think that our cooperation with Kazakhstan in this area is very possible. And it would be really strange if Kazakhstan, which has the largest uranium reserves in the world, did not use, but only extracted this raw material and simply sent it for export. The leadership of Kazakhstan proceeds from this.

Among other things, it is probably no accident that Rosatom is currently operating in 20 countries or building 20 facilities abroad. Modern technologies are very and the best in the world for security. This is also confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA).

You are welcome.

Question: Nikita Korzun, NTV TV company.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, following the results of today's summit, how would you assess the state of the CSTO? Is the organization alive or dead? And how do you personally feel about Armenia's "absenteeism"?

Vladimir Putin: Well, as far as the CSTO organization itself is concerned, of course, it is not just alive, it is alive and developing, and all the countries that actively participate in its work are interested in maintaining these contacts now and in the future.

The situation in the world is complicated, and it is complicated not only because of the events that are taking place in the Ukrainian theater. But is everything so good in Asia? Do events on the borders of the Commonwealth countries with Afghanistan give us an opportunity to calm down and not pay attention to anything?

Complex processes are taking place in Afghanistan. We hope that we will be able to build relations with Afghanistan, and we cannot but pay attention to the fact that the situation there is stabilizing. We have relations with the current leadership of Afghanistan, and they will continue to develop. Recently, Russian Security Council Secretary [Sergei] Shoigu was in Afghanistan and just reported to me on the results. But the situation is still complex and requires our special attention, including from the CSTO.

After all, the CSTO deals not only with military issues, but also with the fight against organized crime, drug trafficking, and so on. So the CSTO has something to do, and the participating countries are interested in it. This is the first one.

Now, as for Armenia's position. Each country has the right to choose what it wants to do and how it wants to do it in the field of ensuring its own security. I think that the current situation between Armenia and the CSTO is most likely dictated by the internal political processes in Armenia itself. And of course, all this is connected with the consequences of the crisis in Karabakh. But I want to emphasize that the CSTO has nothing to do with this. Do you understand? I've said this many times before. Everything that happened has nothing to do with the CSTO, because there was no external aggression against Armenia itself.

The CSTO is designed to protect its member states from external aggression. The events related to Karabakh have their own specifics. After all, Armenia did not recognize Karabakh as an independent state and certainly did not include Karabakh in its state perimeter. So, everything that happened in Karabakh, from a legal point of view, has no direct relation to Armenia. Therefore, it is somewhat strange to claim that the CSTO was supposed to fight on the territory of this enclave. Well, isn't it? Really? Well of course.

However, this is a very sensitive issue. It is always easy to give some estimates from the outside. Inside, everything is always more complicated. I repeat once again, in my opinion, any member state of the organization should determine for itself what corresponds to its national interests. And we will treat it with respect. First. And secondly, Armenia has not announced its withdrawal. Not yet, anyway. She said that she is taking a break, but at the same time she supports all the documents that are being adopted during our meeting today, today's session of negotiations, and draws our attention to this. If this is the case, then there is a possibility that Armenia will return to full-scale work within the framework of this association. We'll see.

I repeat once again: the final decision, of course, is up to the member state of the organization.

Question: Alyona Nefedova, Izvestia newspaper.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, speaking at a narrow-format meeting today, you said that Moscow has responded to the continued use of American missiles to launch strikes on Russian territory.

Vladimir Putin: Two times after the "Hazel Tree" response. After that, ATACMS were used twice more in the Kursk region. So, the damage is minimal, however, the fact of use, of course… We can't help but pay attention to this, especially since there is damage.

Question: At the same time, you stressed that Moscow is ready to respond to further escalation by the West.

Vladimir Putin: I didn't just emphasize it. I said we did it last night.

Question: Yes. And in this regard, a question. What measures is Russia ready to use in this regard? And, in your opinion, are there any risks, whether the use of Western missiles to strike at the territory of Russia continues today?

Vladimir Putin: Well, you need to ask the Westerners who are doing this, whether they intend to continue doing this or not. Whether there are risks in strikes on Russian territory – I have also spoken about this many times. Of course there is. Because it means direct involvement of Western countries, involvement in an armed conflict. Well, what about it? If their specialists lay down a flight task, transmit intelligence information to themselves and coordinate strikes against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation. Of course there is.

And I said that today they received an answer. For about two days, our Armed Forces retaliated. And today it was quite comprehensive: 90 missiles were used in the strike and 100 unmanned attack vehicles. 17 objects were hit on the territory of Ukraine, different: military, military-industrial, and support facilities that work for the armed forces and industrial defense enterprises. [Almost 12 per target!]

I would like to emphasize once again, and I would like to say again now: of course, we will respond to such acts of aggression against the Russian Federation. How and when, and with what weapons-this will depend on the targets that the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense will choose, because each object must use its own tool suitable for this purpose, this or that weapon.

Well, for example, to strike a hypersonic missile at some seemingly insignificant target, small in volume, is meaningless, because it's like firing a cannon at sparrows. But for significant purposes, we will use the means at our disposal, including – I also said this-we do not exclude the use of "Hazel" for military industry facilities or decision-making centers, including in Kiev. Bearing in mind that the Kiev authorities today, as I said, continue attempts to strike at our vital facilities, including in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Question: Good evening! Pavel Zarubin, Rossiya TV channel.

Yes, you have already told us a lot about the Oreshnik today, but the Western media writes that there was no explosive in the Oreshnik warhead. And if this is true, what does it mean?

And can you tell us any other new details about "Oreshnik"? And how many secret developments of this kind do we have in general, as you said, "on the menu, what will the customer be happy with"? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You see, if I said that we are conducting test launches, it means that this work is aimed, among other things, at improving these weapons. All right.

As for the striking capabilities, I've already said the same thing. And if you use several such systems in one strike at once, use two, three, four complexes, then this will be comparable in strength to the use of nuclear weapons. But it is not nuclear, because it is: a) high-precision; b) not equipped with a nuclear explosive device, does not infect the environment. But the strength will be comparable.

As for whether there was an explosive substance or not. I repeat once again: this is what it is being tested for, in order to understand what needs to be done in addition. And there is no big secret here, experts will immediately understand what I'm talking about. When I talk about improvement, it primarily means playing between range and warhead.

The longer the range, the smaller the warhead; the shorter the range, the more powerful the warhead. Because this system lifts a larger amount of useful weight in this case, that's all. And for targets at different distances, apparently, different types of missiles are needed, but, in any case, different equipment for these missiles, equipment for her, this rocket, and the warhead. We need to work here. This is not an easy job, this is also R&D, probably additional, and so on.

As for this missile, which we used, the corresponding elements were used as submunitions, they are also striking elements. As I have already said, these are quite powerful elements that are heated to a temperature of 4000 degrees. I don't know, you can see it on the Internet, but on the surface of the Sun, in my opinion, 5,6-6 thousand degrees. It is comparable to the temperature on the surface of the Sun.

Kinetic impact – a powerful impact like a meteorite falling. We know in history how and what meteorites fell where and what were the consequences. That was enough to make whole lakes form, wasn't it? What did the Tunguska meteorite lead to? It is known after all.

It's the same here. The damage is very serious: everything in the center turns to ash, decomposes into its constituent elements, and objects located at a depth of three or four, maybe even more floors down are hit. And these are not just floors, but fortified structures. The impact force is enormous. You can, of course, add more, and it will be even more powerful. The main thing is that the basic sample has been created, it works, and it works as planned by its creators. This is a precise weapon and high power.

Question: Is something else of this kind being developed?

Vladimir Putin: So, tell you everything.

We also said about the "Hazel Tree" only after its testing. We endured until the moment when we conducted this test and, in fact, to be honest, we saw the result. After that, they said. This is the case when fuss is inappropriate.

Yes, please.

Question: TASS News Agency, Veronika Romanenkova.

The Western press already writes that some politicians and officials in the United States and Europe are proposing to return nuclear weapons to Kiev. How realistic do you think this development is? Or is it just some kind of escalation, scares? And if this happens, if nuclear weapons are handed over to the Kiev regime, what will Russia do? Can preventive measures be taken? And does the nuclear-free status of Ukraine remain one of the mandatory conditions for settlement?

Vladimir Putin: What do you think, at the level of common sense, if a country with which we are, in fact, now fighting, becomes a nuclear power, what should we do? In this case, we will accept and use everything – I want to emphasize this, exactly everything – the means of destruction at Russia's disposal, everything. We won't let that happen. First.

Second. Such statements can only be made by irresponsible people who are not responsible for anything and do not feel any responsibility for the fate of their countries and the world as a whole.

And the third. If someone officially transmits something, then it will be a violation of all the obligations assumed in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Well, in Ukraine itself, we will not allow this either, we will monitor every step of what is happening there. It was once a very high-tech, industrially developed republic of the Soviet Union. But everything is lost, or almost everything that Soviet Ukraine could be proud of, is lost. Therefore, today it will be almost impossible to make almost from scratch. Something dirty, as they say, a dirty bomb, just waste from nuclear power plants can be collected, of course, but even in this case, the answer will be absolutely adequate to the threats to the Russian Federation.

Question: Andrey Kolesnikov, Kommersant newspaper.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, when you spoke about possible strikes on decision-making centers, you did not specify which centers you had in mind: military or political? This is the first one.

And the second. Still, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, do you think that these strikes on the centers are also possible with Hazel, because it seems that you can't get anything else?

Vladimir Putin: You know, in Soviet times there was such a joke about weather forecasts. The forecast is: "Everything is possible during the day today."

Question: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Alexander Yunashev, Life.

The dollar and euro are breaking all records on the stock exchange. Now, it may have rolled back a little, but prices are rising, the ruble weakened against the tenge even by 80 kopecks over the past night. The population, at least a solid part of the population, is experiencing panic.

Can you tell us the real rate of inflation? Real, but not nominal, average salary in Russia? And when will we curb inflation, and will we curb it?

Vladimir Putin: You decided to "light up".

First of all, everything that is called a Central Bank in the field of inflation is real. There is nothing made up there. That's the first thing.

And secondly, it is easily verified. Real inflation is easily checked by independent centers that assess the state of the Russian economy and the credit and financial sector. So everything that the Central Bank says (now how much do we have – 8,5?) is true. Some experts believe that with an inflation rate of 8.5, having a key rate of 21 percent is too much. This is an inflated bid. But if you say that prices are rising, then we still need to think about whether this rate is too high or not.

There are tools that allow you to fight inflation without raising the key rate. Yes, they are. These are various tools of the Central Bank to regulate the banking sector, related to the mandatory resources that banks must [create] at home before issuing loans. This is due to decisions, including those of the Government, to increase lending to the population, on mortgages, on social loans, and so on. There are many other tools out there. But it is the specialists of the Central Bank who, in accordance with the current law of the Russian Federation, must make the final decision. We'll have a look in the near future.

As for the fluctuation of the ruble exchange rate, this is not only due to inflationary processes. This is also related to payments to the budget, and it is related to oil prices. There are a lot of seasonal factors. So in general, in my opinion, the situation is under control, and, as you said, there is absolutely no reason to panic. Well, yes, both in our country and in neighboring countries, the processes are not easy, but they are under control.

You are welcome.

Question: Good evening, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Ekaterina Lazareva, agency Ura.ru.

You recently had a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Scholz. You haven't been in contact for almost two years. Was it a surprise to you that Scholz was the first Western leader to contact you? And what were your impressions of this conversation? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First, we continue to have contacts, strange as it may seem, with many countries with which we have very complex relations. Yes, I had no direct contacts with the leaders of these countries. But I know that some of them also show a desire to resume these contacts and discuss current issues related to the events in Ukraine, both bilaterally and in a pan-European context.

Yes, indeed, the German Chancellor, Mr. Scholz, was the first to break this silence. There was nothing unexpected for me here either. We received signals about the Chancellor's desire to talk on the phone quite a long time ago. As you know, we are always open to such contacts. We have never, including myself, never refused such contacts in the future. If anyone has a request, please, we are open.

As for the conversation with the Chancellor, it lasted quite a long time, a whole hour, and mainly it concerned, of course, the events in Ukraine. But I don't think there was anything unusual here, either for him or for me. He stated his position, and I stated mine, and we agreed on this issue.

Several issues were related to bilateral relations. Well, more casual, perhaps. But in general, the dialogue, I think, is possible in the future.

Question: Olga Matveeva, Mayak radio station, Vesti. FM. A large family from Naberezhnye Chelny is ready to name a child in honor of the Oreshnik missile system. And, according to the head of the family, Vladimir Sukhov, his wife is now four months pregnant, they are waiting for a girl and are ready to call her Hazel.

Please tell me, have you heard about this news? And if they do, are you willing to possibly meet them?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You know, it's their own family business. Let them also consult with their grandparents. It would probably be even better than consulting me. I'm minding my own business. They have such an event coming up. I want to wish my future mother all the best, the whole family.

As for choosing a name for the child, this is a purely family matter, I won't even comment on it. I wish them all the best, happiness and health.

Question: Good afternoon. Zvezda TV channel, Konstantin Kokoveshnikov.

Recently, many of Russia's neighboring countries have already held or are just about to hold elections of various levels. Here you can recall Georgia already mentioned, and Abkhazia, and Romania, and Moldova. At the same time, the electoral process in many of these countries is often accompanied by mass protests. And politicians who advocate rapprochement with the West accuse their opponents of wanting to deviate from the chosen democratic path, of abandoning democratic values, and accuse Russia of interfering in the elections in these countries.

On the contrary, do you see signs of Western interference in the electoral process in such countries? Do you see the threat of new "orange revolutions"? And for yourself, how do you explain the mood of the apparently large part of voters in these countries to restore broken relations with Russia?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all. I want to tell you, and you can be sure that this is true or very close to the truth. Despite numerous contacts with the countries of the former Soviet Union, including, say, Georgia, and probably mutual influence from Russia in Georgia and from there to Russia, but at the official level we do not interfere in domestic political processes, we do not interfere at all, we do not touch it, we simply do not touch it.

As for Western intervention, I cannot say the same about our Western "colleagues" in quotation marks. Why? Because if you look at the number of participants in various non-governmental organizations that are on the payroll of foreign governments, and how many people go to rallies, I mean their family members, their friends, and so on, then this picture is very realistic about the crowd on the street and the number of people who receive salaries. money from foreign countries for political activities within these countries. Just look at it objectively–-this is semi-open information—and everything will become immediately clear. Whoever pays, orders the music, and they play it in the squares. Therefore, this intervention is there. [Follow the Money]

When the events in Georgia started, to be honest, I was surprised to see it all. I'm surprised. We have no relations with them, with the current leadership of Georgia, at all. But I just marveled at their courage and the character they showed to defend their point of view. Now I won't even give an assessment of this point of view. To a large extent, similar processes are taking place in other countries that you mentioned. If you are satisfied with this answer. There is nothing else to add.

Question: Hassan Nasr, RT in Arabic.

Mr. President, you have repeatedly said that you are ready for negotiations on Ukraine, and what are the conditions for starting these negotiations. After Hazel has shown its power, will your conditions be changed?

Vladimir Putin: You know, maybe you just didn't put it right. I didn't formulate any preliminary conditions. I did not say that the preliminary conditions for starting negotiations are such and such. I was just talking about our peace conditions.

In my opinion, the conditions for a long-term and sustainable peace could have been such, such, such, and they are described in detail in my June speech at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. There is nothing else to repeat.

We have enough weapons, although, of course, I understand, and we are all aware of this, that the appearance of such weapons as the Oreshnik strengthens Russia's military position, because these are, well, frankly speaking, not nuclear weapons, but the results of their use and power, especially if they are used in the future. As I have already said, the use of several complexes in one strike is the same as the use of nuclear weapons. That means something, doesn't it? It's true.

But with the advent of new and new weapons systems, our attitude, our principled attitude to the settlement of the situation in Ukraine does not change. We are still ready: a) to the negotiation process, and b) of course, under the conditions that I outlined in my speech to the leadership of the Foreign Ministry in June this year in Moscow. Nothing has changed.

You are welcome.

Question: Gleb Ivanov, Argumenty I Fakty newspaper.

We've been talking a lot lately about high-precision Western weapons and the Hazel Tree. But another type of weapon that has become very widespread in the course of the SVO is drones. Recently, Western media have reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be given new chips that will allow Ukrainian drones to bypass Russian electronic warfare. How serious is this threat, is this data true, and how to deal with it?

And the second question. We know that in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, drone drivers (those people who operate drones) are assigned to a separate branch of the armed forces. Should we do the same?

Vladimir Putin: The first thing that concerns some new chips and other equipment for using drones is possible. Drones are now being used very actively on both sides, and they are also being used very actively by the armed forces of Ukraine. We still use more drones, but there are a lot of them on the other side. So they started using drones, first we started using them, and then they are, you know, fiber-based, controlled from the ground, and they are not affected by electronic warfare at all. Therefore, there will be new chips, it is possible. I am sure that we will have a quick response. Very quickly there is an exchange of information and mutual, unfortunately, enrichment of this information, and instant use. And whoever reacts faster wins.

Our servicemen and our guys have learned to react almost like lightning, and right on the spot. A lot of people with very good education came to the war zone. I watch reports when I receive, read, or listen to oral reports, and frankly, I am even surprised, and I say frankly that people with a very good education, with good engineering training, have found themselves in a war zone, risking themselves, and they are performing miracles right on the spot. Although drones today are one of the most important factors for the successful conduct of successful combat operations. But can they pass it on? Can.

I spoke today in a narrow format about the CSTO. Will this change something radically in the course of combat operations on the battlefield? No, the Russian army is advancing confidently along almost the entire length of the line of contact. I think it will. Gradually, gradually, gradually, we will take up new positions, as we are doing now, thanks to the courage of our guys. I keep repeating this, but it's true. Your colleagues from the war zone and war correspondents speak very convincingly about this. All right. Nobody invents anything.

Question: About a separate branch of the armed forces.

Vladimir Putin: Yes. I know that this is done there, but we are also thinking about it. As for the organization of this work, this is a separate issue. It's important. I agree with you, it's important. Because the specific result depends on the organization of a particular type of activity. Now the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense are also thinking about this. We have a modern Minister of Defense, a person who is well versed in all these areas, although by basic education he is primarily an economist. But nevertheless, he also worked for me on unmanned aerial vehicles when he was still the first deputy Prime minister. So he is in the material, they are now thinking about it together with professional military personnel, about the organization of this work. This is a really important question, I agree.

Question: Interfax News Agency. Hello.

Energy issue. During the state visit to Kazakhstan, was the issue of increasing the flow of oil, in particular Kazakh oil, through Russia to Germany discussed? If so, what are the volumes? Naturally, if you can say so.

The second, respectively, is about pumping oil, but already Russian, through the territory of Kazakhstan to China.

These are the two topics.

Vladimir Putin: We discussed everything. They also discussed the possibility of increasing the pumping of Kazakh oil through the CPC to the port of Novorossiysk and further shipment of Kazakh oil to world markets. But it is not only Kazakhstan, there are also many foreign companies working there, so, you can say, from the territory of Kazakhstan, but this product is already international, international in nature. First.

Second. The issue of Rosneft's possible sale of its stake in the Schwedt refinery in Germany, so that Kazakhstan itself supplies oil for processing to this plant in Germany, was also repeatedly discussed. You know, anything is possible.

The only thing that seems unacceptable to us is the use of illegal methods against the Russian company Rosneft by the government of the Federal Republic, which look like nationalization, seizure of our property, removal from management, and so on. But this is also a matter of negotiations, and Rosneft is ready for these negotiations both with German regulators and their partners, as well as with any others, including from Kazakhstan.

We also discussed the possibility of creating new routes for pumping our products-both oil and gas – to third countries, primarily to the People's Republic of China, including through the territory or through the territory of Kazakhstan. These are very profitable, interesting, promising routes and promising projects. Of course, they will help to stabilize the global economy, and of course, first of all in the Asia-Pacific region, and we will have an additional opportunity to work in the markets.

Question: Egor Piskunov, RT TV channel.

Just now you mentioned Chancellor Scholz, and I have a question about another chancellor. Chancellor Merkel recently released her memoir, and there she devotes quite a lot of time to your relationship and tells the story of how one day in 2007 she flew to you in Sochi and met your dog Connie there.

Vladimir Putin: Did she meet a dog?

Q: Well, they met your dog, yes. And many of us remember this dog.

Vladimir Putin: "The police promised to come with a dog..." "The dog with the police promised to come." Yes? Okay, sorry, I'm just kidding.

Question: Many of us remember this dog. She is super-friendly, many even stroked her, she loved to walk freely. And, apparently, the same thing happened. And, in general, it turned out that Angela Merkel is afraid of dogs, and she wrote that you allegedly deliberately exploited her fear. Was there such a thing? Is it true?

And this is a bit of a philosophical offshoot. What happened in general, how did it happen that there was a time when the German Chancellor actually came to visit you, and you often spoke German there. And now we are talking about the fact that we are starting to deploy the same "Hazel Trees" in that direction.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: First, as for the " dog " theme. Indeed, there was such a case. Mrs. Merkel came to visit us, and my dog, Connie, came out. Frankly, I've already told her, Merkel, that I didn't know she was afraid of dogs. If I had known, I would never have done it. On the contrary, I wanted to create such a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. I proceeded from the fact that in Europe and in Germany, as far as I know, I still lived there for almost five years, they treat domestic animals very positively. On the contrary, I thought that it would be pleasant for her. I later learned that she was afraid of dogs. It happens that way. As far as I remember, she said that as a child she was bitten by a dog. Well, it happens, psychological trauma. When I found out, I apologized to her. I said, " Angela, I'm sorry, I didn't know about this." You see, she wrote about it in the book with a perseverance worthy of a better application. Honestly, it's strange for me, unexpected.

We are talking to you, all this will be in the media. I turn to her again and say, " Angela, please excuse me. I didn't mean to cause you any heartache. On the contrary, I wanted to create a favorable atmosphere for our conversation. My apologies. If you ever come again-and I understand that it is unlikely today – I will not do it in any case."

And if so, on serious issues, namely those related to how our relations with Europe and Western countries in general are developing, you see, we even went, in fact, I think so, I did not participate in this, but the generation of former leaders even went to the collapse of the Soviet Union, including It seems to me that in order to make Russia a part of this so–called-–just today we can say--civilized West, assuming that now that these walls of ideological confrontation have collapsed, we will be part of the civilized world.

Nothing like that happened. It turns out that in addition to all this, in addition to everything related to ideology, there are also issues of a geopolitical nature, geopolitical interests, and we were immediately practically shown where our place is-–somewhere there, in a corner, in a corner. But it didn't end there. They started supporting the separatist forces and terrorist forces in the Caucasus, and they started rocking Russia from within. We got through it, we got through it. What didn't we offer for building relationships? I've already talked about this many times, but now I don't want to waste time on it and go back to it. All. No, not really. Expansion of NATO to the East: five waves, or even six. They simply didn't care about all our objections, all our concerns, and went their own way. And everything. This is how relations developed, including with Europe.

Yes, I know what the European leaders are telling me: "We were against it”–-I have already said this, I will repeat it again, this is important–-We are against Ukraine being in NATO. Well, you know, we are against it, and we will vote against it." To my question: "Why did you open the doors for Ukraine to join NATO in Bucharest in 2008?" The answer is simple: "Well, then the Americans pressed us hard." Well, here you are, Grandma, and St. George's Day. What if you get a lot more pressure tomorrow? Will you agree with everything again and finally sign a piece of paper related to the fact that the same Ukraine is a member of NATO?

And the position of the United States has not changed by that time. The United States told us: "Well, yes, we will not accept it now." Do you know why "we won't do it now"? Because Ukraine is not ready, it must go through the path of preparing for membership. "We won't do it now." When they bring it to the state of readiness, they will accept it. And again they will put pressure on these Europeans. And they will agree again. But what is happening now--but it is happening in front of the whole world.

It just seems to me that this Europe was lowered below the baseboard. It ceased to exist as an independent center, an independent political and sovereign center of world politics. To the tune of the American administration, he dances a butterfly polka just like that, at the first whistle, even to the detriment of himself. I sometimes get the impression that people at a very high level, in the same Federal Republic, who are in high government positions, perform some task of the American special service, but only do not work in the interests of their own, in this case, the German people. How can you agree with everything that happens there?

Energy carriers, for example, in the US market, in some states, are three to five times cheaper than in Europe, in the same Germany. Entire businesses and industries are closing down in Germany and moving to the United States. And they do, and they do it purposefully. Americans are a pragmatic people, in fact, maybe they are doing the right thing in their own interests. But these? It seems that if they are told: "We will hang you", they will have one question: "Do you bring the rope yourself or will you give it to us?" Do you understand? That's all.

Volkswagen is closing, steel plants are closing, chemical plants are closing, glass plants are closing. People are already being thrown out by the thousands, now by the hundreds, at least, or maybe by the thousands. And nothing–-silence. Only some kind of fuss in the current internal political process. And how to talk to such partners? What should we agree on?

Therefore, it is not our fault that our relations with Europe have become so degraded. This is also the result of the internal state of the European establishment and European politics.

But I hope that all this will eventually pass, and our relations with Europe as a whole, with individual European states, will be restored. Both Russia and our European partners are interested in this. They are no less, if not more interested in it, maybe even more. I think that such a natural interest in developing relations with Russia in the interests of, excuse the repetition and tautology, our own countries and peoples will still prevail. I hope so. We'll see what happens there in reality.

Let's now definitely finish.

You are welcome.

Question: Hello. RIA Novosti.

If possible, I would like to return to the topic of the CSTO again.

In accordance with the Collective Security Treaty, in the event of military aggression against any of the participating countries, at its request, other members of the Organization must immediately provide the necessary assistance.

Does Russia intend to apply to the CSTO for such assistance in connection with long-range strikes by Western weapons on its territory? Maybe it was discussed somehow today or this point was touched upon? And are the CSTO members ready to provide such assistance?

Vladimir Putin: As you know, as for the provision that any CSTO member state should provide assistance to another state that has been subjected to aggression, no one has any doubts. In fact, each country is ready to act within the framework of its commitments.

But let's be realistic about what's happening. From the fact that American weapons, such as ATACMS, strike at Russian territory, what can other countries of this organization do to help the Russian Federation? It's unrealistic. But, most likely, even in these conditions, we are able to provide them with all possible assistance. We have sufficient resources and a margin of safety to support our allies if necessary.

Question: Vladimir Kulagin, Vedomosti.

To what extent should the current level of escalation, which began with the Biden administration's permission to hit Russia with ATACMS, and can affect the possibility of establishing contacts with the future Trump administration? How important will this factor be when building relationships? Or maybe there are some other signals that make this difficult?

Vladimir Putin: We don't know what Mr. Trump and Mr. President-in-Office talked about at their meeting. We don't know. That's why we won't comment on it, it's impossible.

Different options are possible. If the current President Biden believes that by escalating the situation, increasing the degree of confrontation, he creates conditions for the future administration, it is easy to get out of this situation, because the newly elected president will say: "This is not me, these are people who are completely out of their minds. I have nothing to do with it. Let's talk." Of course, this is an option.

It is possible that the current administration wants to create additional difficulties for the future administration. This is also possible. But as far as I can imagine the newly elected president, he is still a smart person and already quite experienced, and I think he will find a solution, especially after passing such, say, a very serious test as the struggle to return to the White House.

You know, I think that what struck you most of all was not even the fact that absolutely uncivilized means of struggle were used against Trump, absolutely uncivilized, up to and including an assassination attempt, and repeatedly (by the way, in my opinion, even now he is not safe). And what? There have been all sorts of cases in the history of the United States. I think that he is a smart person and already, I hope, cautious, understands all this. But I was more struck by the fact that during the attacks on him, during the struggle against him, not only was he subjected to humiliating, unjustified procedures, court charges, and so on, but also his family members and children were attacked.

Bandits don't do that here. When criminal groups fight among themselves, women and children are not touched, they leave them alone, men fight among themselves. And these-touched, you know? But this is so disgusting that it once again underlines the entire decline of today's American political system.

Nevertheless, the country is great, of course. We are ready for dialogue with the United States, including with the future administration.

Everyone, thank you very much. Good luck. Goodbye. [My Emphasis]

I left much of the section regarding relations after the incident with Connie the dog unemphasized despite that fact that IMO it all demanded such treatment as those were very frank admissions by Putin about the state of relations from 1989 onward that wasn’t just for Russian consumption. And those admissions relate directly to what might transpire if any settlement talks are to occur with Outlaw US Empire/NATO that must include an arrangement for Eurasian security, which IMO is becoming the vital core of any such talks as that goes to the root of the problem. Currently, IMO, the Empire will not enter into any such discussions as it’s not Eurasian firstly and will see any such agreement as losing the colonial grip on Europe it now enjoys. As I’ve opined before, Russia and the Global Majority will need to make China’s Global Security Initiative a reality without the inclusion of NATO/Outlaw US Empire and perhaps a few other vassals—that takes Putin’s Eurasian Security Pact and expands it to the world and will cement the Global Majority Bloc. Again, IMO, there’s no way to escape the formation of two opposing Blocs—reality is too strong in that case.

As usual, much more could be commented upon what was said. Some readers will have seen what Russian media chose to highlight, Putin’s statement about Trump’s treatment being one. I am surprised he wasn’t asked about Syria or the Zionist Lebanon arrangement, or further about the surprise (for me) events in Romania. And apparently, Merkel’s book has much more to say than just her fear of dogs as this item relates.

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