TSAMTO, June 16. Below are three answers of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the questions of Dmitry Simes, moderator of the discussion at the plenary session of the XXVI St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, concerning the situation in and around Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin: ...The war in Ukraine, in the south-east of Ukraine, was started by the Ukrainian regime with the support of their sponsors in the West in 2014. No one tries to talk about this in the West. But I have to remind you: aviation, tanks, artillery were used against Donbass. What if it's not a war? This is war. And it lasted for almost nine years. And then our so-called partners, counter-partners publicly refused to settle by peaceful means. And this forced us to use the Armed Forces in an attempt to end this war.
And if someone is trying to shift everything from a sick head to a healthy one, then these are attempts to do it by unsuitable means. We know how it all started.
It was not we who led our partners by the nose, but, as it turned out, when signing the Minsk agreements, they were not going to do anything and publicly recently said about it, admitted, in fact. Both the Ukrainian authorities and the Europeans have publicly said this. So we simply had to use the Armed Forces, recognize independence, and then respond to the request of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics for admission to Russia, and then provide them with military assistance in an attempt to end this armed confrontation. This is the first.
Second. Of course, we see that Western countries are making every effort to ensure that Russia suffers, as they say, a defeat on the battlefield, a strategic defeat, and they are doing everything in their power to do this. We see it perfectly. But we have set ourselves certain tasks related to the denazification of these territories, related to demilitarization.
As for demilitarization… After all, look, soon Ukraine will stop using its own equipment at all, there is nothing left. Everything they fight on, and everything they use, is brought in from the outside, but you can't win for so long. And our defense industry is being promoted from day to day. We have increased the output of military products 2.7 times over the past year, and the increase in the most popular samples is tenfold, and further growth is taking place. Enterprises work in two, three shifts, and some day and night. And this tells us that we have a very large margin of safety.
What is going on with this so-called counteroffensive? Somewhere Ukrainian units manage to reach the first line, somewhere they fail - that's not the question. The question is that they use so-called strategic reserves, which consist of several components. The first of them is designed to break through the defense, the second is to use troops to consolidate territories, move through the territory. They didn't achieve their goals at any of the sites – that's what's important.
Indeed, their losses are very large, about even more than one in ten compared to the Russian army. This is a fact. On technology: every day there is an increase in the loss of this equipment, somewhere now, to date, 186 tanks have been lost by the Ukrainian army and 418 armored vehicles of various classes (since the beginning of the counteroffensive on June 4 - ed.). I'm not talking about the personnel right now, it's necessary for the Ministry of Defense to voice itself. But, I repeat, the most important thing is that there is no success in any of the areas. The enemy had no success, as reported by the military.
Right now, as we are talking, another attempt is being made in the so-called Vremyevsky direction, the enemy is trying to attack several areas with the forces of several units supported by five tanks. In the Zaporozhye direction, too, with the support of two tanks, several armored vehicles. We came to the first edge, lost several tanks. There's a fight going on at the moment. I think that the armed forces of Ukraine have no chance here, there will be no chance. As well as in other directions, I have no doubt about it…
Vladimir Putin: ... NATO, of course, is getting involved in the war in Ukraine. Well, what are we talking about, military equipment and heavy equipment are being supplied. Now the option of supplying aircraft is being considered. As a matter of fact, today I have already said that attempts are being made to attack two companies with the support of five tanks in one area. In another area, there are also one and a half companies, approximately with the support of two tanks. Tanks are burning, several tanks have been destroyed, including the Leopards. And yesterday it was the same, and yesterday there were "Leopards". They're burning. The F-16 will also burn, there is no doubt.
But if they are located at air bases outside Ukraine, and used in combat operations, we will have to look at how to hit and where to hit those means that are used in combat operations against us. This is a serious danger of NATO's further involvement in this armed conflict.
As for Western leaders, you know, I never give any assessments to my colleagues. No matter how our personal relationship develops, I think this is incorrect.
By the way, I never say anything about Mr. Zelensky either. But the only thing that causes my complete rejection is how can you support neo–Nazi scum and elevate them to the rank of national heroes, regardless of the ethnicity of this or that person? That's what it's all about, that's the most important thing...
Vladimir Putin: ...At the moment, 30 percent. delivered (by Western countries – ed.) heavy armored vehicles destroyed. This means not only "Bradley" and "Leopards", but the total number (of armored vehicles supplied by the West – ed.). These are 218 tanks, including Leopards, and 418, in my opinion, armored vehicles, including Bradley, this is by number. But there is no doubt that this process will continue.
It would have been better if they had taken a different path and sought peaceful means of resolving the dispute, but so far it has not come to that. We see that they are trying to win on the battlefield. The flag is in their hands. Let's see how they do it. It's not working out yet, and it's unlikely to work out.
The full transcript of Vladimir Putin's speech at the plenary session of the XXVI St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and answers to questions is posted on the Kremlin's website.
