I should have invaded Ukraine earlier, Putin told Russians in a TV marathon

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia should have launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier and been better prepared for war.

At his year-end press conference on Thursday, Putin said in hindsight that there should have been “systematic preparation” for the 2022 invasion, which he refers to as a “special military operation.”

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pro-Russian forces began the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but eight years later Putin tried to seize Kiev.

During his four-hour appearance, Putin also spoke about the ousted Syrian leader, Russia's more aggressive nuclear doctrine, as well as domestic issues.

The event, dubbed “Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin,” was broadcast live on major state television channels on Thursday.

Putin appeared in front of a large blue screen on which was a map of the Russian Federation, with the parts of Ukraine it annexed.

He took questions from members of the public, foreign journalists and pensioners – but it was highly organized and tightly controlled.

When asked by the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow at the end whether he felt the country was in a better position than his predecessor Boris Yeltsin left it 25 years ago, Putin said Russia had regained its “sovereignty”.

He added: “With everything that happened to Russia before this, we were heading towards a complete and utter loss of our sovereignty.”

In response to a question about the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Putin insisted that it was not a defeat for the Kremlin – which has supported President Bashar al-Assad militarily for years – but admitted that the situation was “complicated.”

He said he had not yet spoken to the ousted Syrian president, who fled to Moscow as opposition forces approached Damascus earlier this month, but he intended to do so soon.

He added that Russia is in talks with Syria's new rulers to retain two strategically important military bases on the Mediterranean coast and that Moscow will consider using them for humanitarian purposes.

Regarding US President-elect Donald Trump, Putin said that the two men had not spoken for four years, but that he was ready to meet him “if he wanted to.”

When he was told that he was in a weak position compared to Trump, who is scheduled to take office in January, Putin quoted American writer Mark Twain: “The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated,” sparking a few laughs in the conference hall. .

Putin moved to China and said that Russia's relations with its eastern neighbor had reached their highest levels ever, and that the two countries were coordinating actions on the global stage.

“In the past decade, the level and quality of our (Russian-Chinese) relations have reached a point that has never existed before throughout our entire history,” he said.

A long portion of the session focused on the war in Ukraine, with Putin saying he was “open to concessions” to end the war — although it is unclear what such concessions could entail.

He added that Russian forces are making progress on the front lines “every day,” describing his forces as “heroes.”

At one point, he showed off a signed flag that he said was given to him by Russian marines who were “fighting for the Motherland” in the Kursk region, and instructed two observers to hold it behind him for the cameras.

He also spoke about Russian construction projects in areas it has seized from Ukraine, claiming that the quality of roads in Ukraine's Luhansk region has improved significantly since Russian-backed forces captured it in 2014.

When an audience member asked him whether the West had “received the message” about Russia changing its nuclear doctrine, which it had Putin succeeded in moving forward in November“You have to ask them,” he said.

The new nuclear doctrine allows Russia to launch a nuclear strike against any country if it is backed by nuclear power.

This means that if Ukraine launched a major attack on Russia with conventional missiles, drones, or aircraft, that would meet the criteria for a nuclear response, as would an attack on Belarus or any serious threat to Russia's sovereignty.

Putin also emphasized the capabilities of Russia's new medium-range ballistic missile, Oreshnik, which was used in a strike on Ukraine in November.

In order to test its strength, he suggested that Russia fire an Oreshnik missile toward Ukraine, and that Ukrainian air defense – using US-supplied systems – try to shoot it down.

As for the name “Oreshnik”? “Honestly, I have no idea,” Putin said with a smirk. “There is no evidence.”

A dominant theme throughout the event was “Russian sovereignty,” with Putin claiming that less dependence on international partners – partly due to Western sanctions – was one of the main achievements of his invasion of Ukraine.

He said the economy was “stable”, pointing to higher growth than countries such as Germany, but admitted that inflation of 9.1% was “worrying”.

In fact, the economy is overheated and relies heavily on military production – sometimes called the “military-industrial complex.”

During the speech, Putin also answered questions about domestic issues – from phone scammers to young people's struggle to get a mortgage.