Putin has allowed himself to be interviewed by the state-controlled TV channel Rossiya 1 in a program that is to be released to commemorate the autocrat's 25> years in power.
In an excerpt that has been released, the president is asked a leading question about why Russia has not struck back harder against "the enemy's provocations" during the past three years of war, referring to counterattacks from the Ukrainian defense.
There has been no need to use nuclear weapons to emerge victorious from the "special operation", answers Vladimir Putin.
And I hope they will not be needed, he says.
We have enough power and tools to bring what started in 2022 to a logical conclusion, with the result that Russia demands.
The Kremlin's Historiography
It is further presented as if Russia did not have a choice but to initiate the original invasion of eastern Ukraine and annex the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Russian forces went in and ensured that it happened, at first in unmarked uniforms, but in the Russian power's later historiography, it was a liberation action, where the people's alleged will was demonstrated in rigged referendums.
When Putin is asked about 2014, he claims that the Kremlin did everything to resolve the situation peacefully, but "the enemy wanted otherwise".
In the TV interview, he presents it as if Russia was deceived and ultimately forced to invade its independent neighboring country. The large-scale invasion in February 2022 failed when it met strong Ukrainian resistance and the Russian forces had to turn back on their way to Kyiv.
Have the Talks Stopped?
Russia has received an outstretched diplomatic hand from the new government in the USA, but it is unclear whether the talks about some kind of peace solution are going anywhere at present.
After talks with American envoys, it has been said that the USA appears to have gained a greater understanding of how Russia's government views the conflict situation. But this week, the US president has instead given signals that he has grown tired and the country has entered into new deals with Ukraine, guaranteeing continued support.
The program with Vladimir Putin will be broadcast in its entirety on tightly controlled Russian TV later on Sunday. According to a program description, the Russian president will also be asked questions such as "Do you get surprised by your grandchildren in the Kremlin?" and "When did you kneel for the first time?"
