President Vladimir says he was informed of an idea to release his fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, from prison, days before the opposition leader’s death. He says he agreed to the idea, but only on condition that Mr Navalny did not return to Russia.
Everything Putin addressed during Moscow victory speech
Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his victory speech after winning a fifth term in office as Russia’s president.
He addressed a lot during the speech in Moscow, even taking some questions from journalists who attended.
Here is everything the Russian leader said in a nutshell:
- Addressing the Ukraine war, which Russia calls its “special military operation”, President Putin said Russia’s armed forces are advancing every day;
- He said the presence of Western troops in Ukraine will “lead the world to the brink of World War Three” but did not think anyone was interested in such a scenario;
- The president expressed gratitude to the Russian military who, he said, were people who are “ensuring the conditions for our country to exist in the future”;
- He said he was ready to talk about proposals for a ceasefire during the Paris Olympic Games, put forward yesterday by French President Emmanuel Macron;
- He said Russia will “think” about who they will talk about with regarding peace in Ukraine;
- After declaring victory in the Russian presidential election, he said the result indicates “trust” and “hope” in him;
- When questioned on democracy – or lack of – in the Russian election, he claimed there is no democracy in the West;
- He said relations between Russia and China were “sustainable”.