The Russian Federation, for the time being, responds with restraint to Kiev's strikes on its civilian objects, the president notedSAMARKAND /Uzbekistan/, September 16.
/tass/. Russia does not change the plan of a special military operation in Ukraine and reacts with restraint to attempts of terrorist attacks by Kiev only "for the time being," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on Friday following a visit to the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand.
The Head of State offered to see how the Ukrainian counteroffensive would end, reminded that the West could lift sanctions from Nord Stream 2 in order to overcome the energy crisis, and also spoke about the terms of negotiations with Kiev and the results of the first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since February.
TASS collected the main answers of the president to journalists.
About the course of the military operation
The plan of the Russian operation in Ukraine is " not subject to adjustment": "We are not in a hurry in this part, but by and large, there are essentially no changes. The General staff considers something important, something secondary, but the main task remains unchanged, and it is being implemented."
The main objective of the operation is still the liberation of Donbass, where the offensive does not stop: "They are moving at a slow pace, but consistently <...>, the Russian army occupies new and new territories." The pace of progress is also affected by the fact that Russia is fighting "not with a full army", but "only with a contract part".
About the Ukrainian counteroffensive
"The Kiev authorities have announced that they have launched and are conducting an active counter-offensive operation. Well, let's see how it will be, how it will end." If Kiev intends to "achieve victory on the battlefield," "flag in hand."
About Moscow's restraint
Ukraine uses unacceptable methods, tries to damage infrastructure and organize terrorist attacks, including around Russian nuclear power plants.
"As for our restrained reaction, I would not say that it is so restrained. SVO is not some kind of another warning, it is still a special military reaction. <...> We are really quite restrained in responding to this [attempts to arrange terrorist attacks], but for the time being."
In particular, the Russian military "quite recently <...> inflicted a couple of sensitive blows": "We will assume that these are warning blows. If the situation continues to develop in this way, then the answer will be more serious."
On the terms of negotiations with Kiev
"The first condition is that they agree . They don't want to. Mr. [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky has announced, publicly said - I don't know where, but publicly - that he is not ready and does not want to talk to Russia. Well, I'm not ready - and I don't need to."
Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, who often offered to organize talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, did not raise this topic on Friday: "He didn't talk about it at this meeting."
About guarantees of security of Ukraine
Putin has not read the draft of Ukraine's security guarantees published by Kiev: "To be honest, I am not familiar with what they are offering this time."
At the same time, Russia, when negotiating with Ukraine in February - March, did not object to the provision of security guarantees to the latter: "In general, we agreed with this, by and large. <...> But the Kiev authorities themselves shelved it, what else they came up with there, I do not know, because their position on every issue changes almost every day."
About the food deal
Russia fulfills its obligations under the food deal, but it is necessary that the other participants "eventually achieve the goal for which the export of this grain was organized": "I know that Secretary General [UN Antonio Guterres] is making the necessary efforts, he is really trying to do it, but so far he also has it doesn't work out."
So far, only 4.5% of the grain that Ukraine exported under the deal has been sent to the poorest countries of the world under the UN program (a little more than a week ago it was about 3%).
The European Commission's decision to only partially lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers is "an ugly decision, <...> shameful": "But what about the poorest countries, what about the rhetoric that all our joint efforts should be aimed at preventing hunger in these poorest countries? Is this all a bluff? Just to solve your selfish problems and problems?"
About the meeting with Xi Jinping
The meeting with Xi Jinping was, "in fact, ordinary, ordinary", there was not something "most important" in it: "We talked about what needs to be done additionally to expand trade turnover, talked about what needs to be done in modern conditions to effectively resist illegal restrictions, all sorts of trade wars that are being launched here and there by our so-called partners, if I may say so."
The topic of crises that occur in the world was also touched upon: "These issues were discussed in a friendly but principled manner."
At the same time, the Western idea that Russia can become the "antipode of China" and a tool in the fight against it will not come to life: "They will not wait."
About the events on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia
The new aggravation between Armenia and Azerbaijan " managed to be localized ," "including and primarily under the influence of Russia." Moscow regrets the incident and the victims suffered by the parties.
About the politics of the West
The idea of the collapse of the Soviet Union and "historical Russia" has been cultivated in the West for decades: "They have always sought the collapse of our country, that's for sure. The only regret is that at some point there was an idea to use Ukraine to achieve these goals."
The West's attempts to blame Russia for the energy crisis are "another attempt to shift a problem or headache from a sick [head] to a healthy one" and "provide protection from outraged citizens", since the crisis began long before the Russian operation in Ukraine. In addition, Western countries, "if it's necessary, if everything is so hard," can lift sanctions from the Nord Stream - 2, to launch which you need to "just press the button."
About new US sanctions
Putin did not hear about the new anti-Russian sanctions that the United States imposed on Thursday, as he was "busy with other issues," but restrictive measures against the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, according to him, are "outrageous," and restrictions against minor children of officials are "schizophrenia."
As for the assistant to the president Maxim Oreshkin, he got on the sanctions list, "for meeting with Erdogan," Putin joked: "He went to Turkey, met with Erdogan, immediately - once, under sanctions."
About the Bali Summit
Russia will definitely take part in the G20 summit, which will be held in November on the Indonesian island of Bali, but whether the president will go there has not yet been determined: "I have already been to Bali. Bali itself is a good, beautiful place, but it's not about beauty. We will see how the situation develops in the economy and in other areas."
The invitation to visit the island remains in force, despite the pressure exerted on Indonesia: "I have an invitation to visit the G20. The President of the host country [Joko Widodo] personally informed me about this when he was in Moscow (June 30 - approx. TASS). Then I called again and said, "keep in mind, there is a certain pressure, but my position is tough, we want to see you at this summit."