The Russian president fielded questions on Ukraine, strategic partnerships, new weapons systems, the Middle East, and Moscow’s relations with the West
Published 4 Jun, 2026 16:48
| Updated 4 Jun, 2026 21:11
© Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov
Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up a wide-ranging Q&A with the heads of major global news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, taking more than 20 questions on the Ukraine conflict and new weapons systems, as well as strategic partnerships, the Middle East, and relations with the West. Here are the key points from what Putin said.
– Control of Donbass and a deal on Ukraine “do not contradict each other.” Moscow is “without doubt” ready for a peaceful settlement based on the compromise discussed with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, if Kiev also agrees.
– Russia did not use the Oreshnik system “in the full sense” in strikes on Ukrainian territory. “We tested similar systems at training grounds, but not the Oreshnik. This was not combat use.”
– The Russian Army now controls all of the Lugansk People’s Republic, more than 85% of the Donetsk People’s Republic and almost 80% of Zaporozhye Region.
– Answering a question about a possible new presidential term, Putin said the Constitution allows him to run again in 2030, but it is “far too early” to discuss it and he is “not even thinking about that right now.”
– Russia has not made any sudden “pivot” to Asia; its close ties with China have been built up over many years, as Moscow and Beijing are “natural allies and partners,” as well as neighbors.
– On potential talks with Kiev, Putin said Russia would sign any future document with a “legitimate representative” of Ukraine, calling this “not a whim.” He added that there is “no need” to halt hostilities to hold negotiations.
– The European Union could play “a positive role,” not by sending more weapons but by trying to persuade the Ukrainian authorities to accept the compromises discussed in Anchorage.
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04 June 2026
19:58 GMT
Putin said corruption in Ukraine has “already taken root and is flourishing,” adding that Western weapons are proliferating from the country’s territory “all over the world.” He said “European experts” themselves estimate that “hundreds of billions of euros” will be needed to rebuild Ukraine’s economy.
- 19:37 GMT
The creation of a Palestinian state is “the only solution” to resolving the Middle East crisis, Putin has said.
- 19:34 GMT
Moscow is ready to do anything it can to help settle the Iran war, Putin has said.
“If anything depends on Russia, we’re always ready to offer a shoulder,” he said. “We will do everything in our power. If our help is needed, we will help resolve the conflict.”
Russia has repeatedly offered to remove Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile from the country, as the US pressed demands to curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
“Our proposals are known to the American administration, and they are known to our Iranian friends and partners,” Putin said.
Russia helped move Iranian enriched uranium from the country in 2015, which “formed the basis” of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Putin said. Under the now-defunct nuclear deal, Tehran had agreed to curb its enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
- 19:19 GMT
Putin has used former British PM Theresa May’s notorious “highly likely” phrase to expose the lack of foundation behind Western claims of malign activity attributed to Moscow. “There’s certain figures in the West who try to attempt it about the Russian Federation… Where is the proof? There’s none. They’re simply not willing to talk to Russia,” he said.
- 19:13 GMT
Russia did not use the Oreshnik system “in the full sense” in strikes on Ukrainian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
“We tested similar systems at training grounds, but not the Oreshnik. This was not combat use. We have not had a single combat use of the Oreshnik in the full sense of the word on Ukrainian territory,” Putin added.
According to the president, the most recent strikes using the Oreshnik were carried out “where it was convenient to see the results.”
- 19:12 GMT
Answering a question about a possible new presidential term, Putin said the Russian Constitution allows him to run again in 2030, but it is “far too early” to discuss the issue. “I’m not even thinking about that right now,” he told the heads of international news agencies at SPIEF.
- 18:58 GMT
In response to a suggestion that Russia could attack NATO, Putin was as clear-cut and emphatic as he has been throughout the meeting. “I have to ask why, why would we do that?… This is nonsense, more than nonsense, it’s a deliberate provocation…” he told the reporters.
- 18:55 GMT
Vladimir Putin’s Q&A with international news agency heads is over now, but the RT team will continue providing you with his most important points.
- 18:51 GMT
The people of Iran have proven that “their interests must be taken into account” in any peace deal with the US and Israel, Putin has said.
The Iranian people have demonstrated unity and a willingness to fight
He stressed that despite Western speculation that Russia has emerged as the sole beneficiary of the rising energy prices due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, Moscow “will simply rejoice with everyone when this crisis is over.”
- 18:41 GMT
Any final peace agreement needs to be signed with the “absolutely legitimate” representatives of Ukraine, Putin has stressed.
Whether Vladimir Zelensky is the country’s legitimate representative, is “a question for lawyers” to determine, he said.
“We can only sign with those people who are absolutely, in the full sense of the word, legitimate to sign documents of this kind.”
Moscow has long pointed out that the Ukrainian leader’s presidential term expired in May 2024.
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04 June 2026
16:58 GMT
Answering the first question, from the head of Kazakhstan’s state TV and radio agency about the significance of his recent visit to the republic, Putin said ties with Astana are “developing successfully, on an upward trajectory,” citing a centuries‑long shared history and strong industrial and transport links. Putin particularly cited cooperation in energy, industry and space, and said the partnership is now expanding into nuclear power, with Russia set to help build a nuclear plant in Kazakhstan.
- 17:09 GMT
“We keep hearing people say that Russia made a ‘pivot’ toward Asia, but we did not pivot anywhere,” Putin told China’s Xinhua news agency. With China, “we are natural allies and partners. We are neighbors – you don’t choose your neighbors,” he said, stressing that the relationship is not directed against any third country and that a treaty signed 25 years ago laid the foundations for today’s “unprecedented” level of cooperation.
- 17:12 GMT
Putin described Chinese President Xi Jinping as his “old friend,” stressing that this is “not just a figure of speech.”
- 17:20 GMT
Russia will continue to invest in the Indian economy and has “promising, far‑reaching plans” for cooperation with New Delhi, Putin told Press Trust of India. He praised India as a “specially privileged strategic partner,” noting that bilateral trade could reach $100 billion “in the coming years,” and said India is free to build ties with any country it chooses, adding that US attempts to pressure New Delhi are “useless” and cause no problems for Russia–India relations.
- 17:20 GMT
Russian armed forces are advancing on the whole line of contact, Putin stressed, adding that “there is no place we are not advancing.” The problem for Ukraine’s armed forces is a critical lack of servicemen: the numbers have dropped by 100,000 people, he claimed.
“Monthly they lose about 40,000 people”, the president said, adding that Ukrainian officers capture people on the streets like animals.
- 17:31 GMT
Russia has an integrated air and strike capability that it will continue to strengthen, while Ukraine has “no air defense system as such,” Putin said. Kiev also lacks the kind of offensive systems that Russia possesses, despite receiving “numerous drones” from Western sponsors, he added.
- 17:35 GMT
Putin said Russia has not refused dialogue on the Ukraine conflict and is ready to talk if European countries consider it appropriate, adding that Moscow is “not imposing anything.” Any talks, he said, “must involve people who can be trusted.”
- 17:38 GMT
Asked whether German Chancellor Friedrich Merz could act as a mediator on Ukraine and who, besides former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, he might see in that role, Putin said Europe is “in fact a party to the conflict” and therefore cannot be a mediator.
He argued that Schroder is “not a friend of Putin but a statesman” whose position both sides could trust, while saying that Germany’s leadership lacks public trust and is focused on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. “Das ist das Problem,” Putin replied to the German journalist in German.
- 17:48 GMT
Moscow is “without doubt” ready to reach a peaceful settlement with Kiev on the basis discussed in Anchorage with US President Donald Trump, according to Putin. It is “important that Ukraine also agrees” to the “compromise discussed” at the Alaska talks, he said, adding that in that case the conflict would “peter out naturally, and very quickly.”
- 17:49 GMT
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Armenia will ‘pay steep price’ for trading Russia for EU – Moscow’s top lawmakerCommenting on Armenia’s push toward the EU, Putin said there is “nothing wrong with countries orienting themselves toward Western standards and that each state must choose its own priorities.” He said the level of integration seen in the USSR is no longer possible, but the EAEU is working to deepen ties through tools such as a common energy market, and stressed that Russia is merely asking Armenia to decide with whom it wants to cooperate, noting that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself has spoken of holding a referendum on EU membership.
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