According to a report by Russian News Agency on the 17th, Russian President Putin held an online annual press conference on the 17th local time. At the meeting, Putin talked about multinational leaders and U.S. President-elect Biden.
In response to questions about the prospects for bilateral relations between Russia and the United States, Putin said that the development of Russian-US relations in the next few years will largely depend on who is appointed by U.S. President-elect Biden to serve in his government.
The Russian President said, “The prospects of bilateral relations between Russia and the United States depend largely on the new government. I repeat: He (Biden) is a very experienced man who has been engaged in politics all his life. To paraphrase: kings are made by servants.
We have seen candidates for key positions (in the Biden administration). He added that Russian representatives have begun to contact those who have been nominated for Biden’s new government.
Putin said, “We don’t want any accidents. Everyone heard the speech of the President-elect of the United States, who said that the extension of the New Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty was reasonable. Let’s see what the actual results are.
On the same day, Russian President’s press secretary Peskov said in response to reporters’ questions, “Do Putin plan to hold a telephone conversation with Biden” that Putin does not plan to hold a telephone conversation with US President-elect and current US President Trump.
At the press conference, Putin talked about his relationship with German Chancellor Merkel. Putin said that he had established a good personal relationship with Merkel.
In response to the reporter’s question “Will she miss her after she is no longer the German Chancellor), Putin said, “She is still the Chancellor of Germany, so it is not appropriate to talk about this issue.
I have very good personal relations with the German Chancellor, and the relationship between our two countries is still at a high level.
Putin added that Germany is one of Russia’s largest trading and economic partners. He stressed, “There is no doubt that German entrepreneurs are one of the largest investors in the Russian economy.
Unlike other investors, they invest in the real world. We highly appreciate this. I want to emphasize that we do have a lot of friends who trust us there. We value this trust.
When asked by reporters whether “German Defense Minister Karenbauer said it was appropriate to use his strength to talk to Russia, this statement”, Putin replied, “Of course, it is not appropriate.
Karen Ball became German defense minister, and she wanted to show toughness, but only repeated the clichés that have repeatedly occurred in many NATO countries.
Putin believes that “this is counterproductive to relations between countries and makes no sense from the perspective of national defense policy. Because you need to see what the Russian army looks like today.”
He suggested not paying special attention to these words. “I’m not sure whether she herself and many responsible politicians in Germany are happy with this statement. This is just a cliché.
Putin also talked about Turkish President Erdoğan at the press conference, saying that he often disagrees with Erdoğan, but Erdoğan keeps his promise and “does not play tricks”. He said, “I often disagree with President Erdoğan on certain issues, sometimes even hold the opposite view.
But he is a man who keeps his promise and can’t play tricks. If he thinks something is in the interest of his country, he will stick to it. Putin added, “This is predictability, which is very important for people who understand what you are dealing with.”
On the same day, the Elysee Palace in France announced that French President Macron had tested positive for COVID-19 and would self-quarantine and work remotely for the next seven days.
Russian Kremlin news service said that Russian President Putin had sent a telegram to French President Macron, hoping that he would recover soon and be in good health.
Earlier, French government spokesman Gabriel Attar said at a press conference that Macron developed initial symptoms in the early morning of the 17th and then was tested in the morning.
