Putin Has First Sit Down With Western Press Since Ukraine War

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Facts

  • For the first time since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin sat down with journalists from the Western press on Wednesday (including representatives of the Associated Press and Reuters).1
  • Fielding questions on a range of subjects, on the prospects of using Russia's nuclear arsenal, 'For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it,' Putin said.1
  • 'We have a nuclear doctrine,' Putin added. 'Look what it says. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly, superficially.'1
  • On the topic of Western weapons used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory, Putin said it could lead to 'very serious problems.' He added: 'If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don't we have the right to supply weapons of the same class to regions of the world where there will be strikes on sensitive facilities of those countries?'2
  • On the recent conviction of former US Pres. Donald Trump, Putin said it 'burned' the idea of the US as a leading democracy, stating that: 'It is obvious all over the world that the prosecution of Trump — especially in court on charges that were formed on the basis of events that happened years ago, without direct proof — is simply using the judicial system in an internal political struggle.'3
  • The Russian leader was also asked to comment on the conflict in Gaza. 'What is happening now in Gaza in response to the terrorist attack on Israel, does not resemble a war,' Putin said. 'It is a kind of total destruction of the civilian population.'4

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2CNN, 3Guardian and 4Timesofisrael.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Associated Press. Taking his usual tone, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin threatened the West with nuclear weapons and Russian-backed strikes on Western territory for its support of Ukraine. He did say he was willing to work with any elected US leader who was willing to change tack on Russia — though he admitted the prospects of that were unlikely.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. Sitting down with the international media, Putin seems far more cogent than the majority of Western leaders the world is blessed with today. He fielded the usual questions on nuclear weapons and American escalation, but he said it himself — the thought of Russia attacking NATO is preposterous. However, that wasn't what was reported in the Western media.

Predictions