“I should have invaded Ukraine earlier,” Putin tells the Russians in the TV marathon

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

In his year-end press conference on Thursday, Putin said that in hindsight there should have been “systemic preparations” for the 2022 invasion, which he described as a “special military operation.”

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pro-Russian forces began a conflict in eastern Ukraine, but it was not until eight years later that Putin attempted to take Kiev.

During his four-hour appearance, Putin also discussed Syria’s ousted leader, Russia’s more aggressive nuclear doctrine and domestic issues such as the price of butter.

The event, billed as “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 showing a map of the Russian Federation with annexed parts of Ukraine.

He took questions from citizens, foreign journalists and retirees – but it was a highly choreographed and tightly controlled affair.

Asked by BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg whether he thought the country was in a better state than where his predecessor Boris Yeltsin left it 25 years ago, Putin said Russia had regained its “sovereignty”.

“With everything that has happened to Russia before, we are heading towards a complete loss of our sovereignty.”

Asked about the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Putin insisted it was not a defeat for the Kremlin, which had supported President Bashar al-Assad militarily for years. However, he admitted that the situation was “complicated”.

He said he had not yet spoken to the ousted Syrian leader, who fled to Moscow as rebels closed in on Damascus earlier this month, but he planned to do so soon.

He added that Russia was negotiating with Syria’s new rulers to keep two strategically important military bases on the Mediterranean coast and that Moscow would consider using them for humanitarian purposes.

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

When told that he was in a weak position compared to Trump, who is due to take office in January, Putin quoted the American writer Mark Twain: “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” which was heard in the conference room caused a few laughs.

Coming to China, Putin said Russia’s relations with its eastern neighbor were at an all-time high and the two countries would coordinate their actions on the world stage.

“In the last decade, the level and quality of our (Russia-China) relations have reached a point never before seen in our entire history,” he said.

A lengthy portion of the session focused on the war in Ukraine, with Putin saying he was “open to compromises” to end the war – although it was unclear what such compromises might entail.

Russian forces are making progress on the front “every day,” he said, describing his troops as “heroes.”

At one point, he pulled out a signed flag that he said he received from Russian marines “fighting for the fatherland” in the Kursk region and asked two observers behind him to hold it up for the cameras.

He also touched on Russia’s construction projects in areas it seized from Ukraine, claiming road standards in Ukraine’s Luhansk region have improved significantly since it was captured by Russian-backed forces in 2014.

When asked by an audience member whether the West had “got the message” about Russia changing its nuclear doctrine, he responded Putin prevailed in Novemberhe said, “You have to ask her that.”

The new nuclear doctrine allows Russia to carry out a nuclear strike against any country if it is supported by a nuclear power.

That is, if Ukraine were to launch a major attack on Russia using conventional missiles, drones or aircraft, it could meet the criteria for a nuclear response, as could an attack on Belarus or a critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty.

Putin also highlighted the capabilities of Russia’s new Oreshnik medium-range missile, which was used in an attack on Ukraine in November.

To test his power, he suggested that Russia fire the Oreshnik at Ukraine and that Ukrainian air defenses – using U.S. systems – try to shoot it down.

As for the name “Oreshnik”? “Honestly,” Putin said with a grin, “I have no idea. No idea.”

A dominant theme throughout the event was “Russia’s sovereignty,” with Putin claiming that reduced dependence on international partners – partly a result of Western sanctions – was one of the key achievements of his invasion of Ukraine.

He said the economy was “stable” and pointed to higher growth than in countries like Germany, but acknowledged that inflation of 9.1% was “alarming.”

In fact, the economy is overheated and heavily dependent on military production – sometimes referred to as the “military industrial complex.”

Throughout the speech, Putin also answered questions on domestic issues – from telephone scammers to the difficulties of young people getting a mortgage.