“Direct Line” is an annual live television program featuring the Russian leader. This directed performance with selected questions, intended to prove that there is no censorship in Russia, this time lasted 4 hours. and 27 min. Putin answered about 80 questions from journalists and citizens out of what Russian media boasted were supposedly 2.5 million inquiries sent by phone and via social media platforms in the last two weeks.
On Friday, Putin explained, among other things: reasons for the lack of fish on Russian tables, he explained why prices are rising but salaries are not, and why the families of those killed in the war do not receive benefits on time. Answering questions from average Russians, he emphasized, among other things, that “egg prices have fallen” and GDP growth is expected to amount to 1 percent this year.
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How long did Putin's press conference last?
How many questions were Putin asked during the conference?
What issues did Putin raise at the conference?
Why does Putin believe that Russia is not responsible for people's deaths?
According to prof. Roman Baecker, a political scientist and historian from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, devoting so much time to household problems was an attempt to channel the concerns of Russians who still remember “poverty from the 1990s.”
— Everything looks good in the statistics: production and GDP are growing. However, “a huge increase in the number of tanks produced does not mean an increase in butter production” – quite the opposite. Russians increasingly feel existential anxiety about survival, Baecker emphasized. He added that the biggest problem for Russians, according to research by the independent Russian research center Levada Center, is not the war with Ukraine, but the fear of price increases.
Vladimir Putin: Russians do not feel responsible for people's deaths
In his opinion, the overwhelming predominance of internal topics during Friday's conference results from the fact that Russians are primarily interested in “what they see in the fridge.” In today's Russia, there has been a “significant deterioration” in the economic situation of households, resulting mainly from a sharp increase in arms production.
Ukraine was the subject of a question from a journalist from the American NBC station who wanted to know whether Putin would feel responsible for the deaths of Russians and Ukrainians in 2026 if he broke off the peace talks. Putin replied that the Russians “do not consider themselves responsible for the deaths of people” because “Russia did not start this war”, thus repeating – contrary to the facts – the long-standing Russian narrative that Moscow is not to blame in this matter.
Expert on Putin's words. “His way of thinking hasn't changed.”
According to Baecker, Putin's words are proof that although some adjectives regarding Ukraine have changed – he no longer talks about Banderites, for example, but more often about Nazis – his way of thinking has not changed. The expert emphasized that Putin still claims that Russia is innocent and a victim of aggression, while the collective West, through the hands of Ukrainians, wants its destruction.
According to Baecker, Russia's goals have not changed either, i.e. taking over Ukraine and, in the next step, striving for NATO's withdrawal from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. — Judging not only by today's speech, but also by Putin's and Lavrov's earlier enunciations, Russia currently wants to focus on conquering Ukraine and then Moldova, and only then leaving NATO member states to itself, if it is possible to take them under control, the expert said.
When asked by a Serbian journalist whether Russia can reach an agreement with NATO and whether a new security system in Europe is possible, Putin replied with another lie, saying that the West “did not fulfill its obligations” and deceived Russia about NATO's expansion to the east.
Vladimir Putin attacks Europe. “Escalates tensions”
However, contrary to the Kremlin's narrative, there was never an agreement between NATO countries and Russia that the Alliance would not be expanded to include Eastern European countries. Although Russia often referred to the 1990 talks, the Western side always emphasized that they concerned only Germany and that no additional NATO armed forces would be deployed to the territory of the then GDR after German reunification.
Putin also attacked Europe once again, emphasizing that “it is not Russia that is at war with the West, but the West with Russia through Ukrainian nationalists.” He warned that Europe “will gradually disappear” if it does not decide to cooperate with Russia. He also rejected accusations that Russia intended to attack Europe, calling them “nonsensical” and emphasizing that Russia “also wants to live in peace and reach an agreement on controversial issues during negotiations to ensure long-term peace.”
As he said, Europe is “escalating tensions, claiming that it must prepare for war with Russia.” He also recommended NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to familiarize himself with the new US National Security Strategy, which – in his opinion – Russia is no longer treated as a threat.
According to Baecker, Putin's statements indicate a desire to separate Europe from the USA. among others that is why Putin previously called European countries “piglets” in order to cause “very clearly negative emotional reactions of European politicians” and eliminate them from the negotiations. — It is clear that an important goal of Putin is to treat Europe as an area to be conquered. He briefly outlined the scenario of the conquest of Europe, using beautiful words full of peace and friendship, Baecker said.
