Preparations for comprehensive strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure featured prominently in remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said the Russian armed forces had been ordered to prepare for and carry out strikes against these targets.
Putin spoke at a press conference held after his visit to Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Saying that the negotiation process with Ukraine had largely stalled, Putin said Russia was continuing its strikes on military, port and other targets belonging to the Ukrainian army.
Putin said the conflict was associated with casualties and tragedy, adding that the war had created new challenges.
Russian merchant vessels and energy damage
Referring to the damage caused by Ukraine’s attacks on Russian merchant vessels, Putin said the impact amounted to approximately 1 percent of Russia’s gross domestic product. Saying he did not consider the damage critical, Putin noted that about 10 percent of the damaged oil refineries remained to be restored to operation.
Putin described unmanned aerial vehicles as the most important challenge facing the Russian armed forces. He maintained that Russia was overcoming this threat.
Military situation in Donbas and Kharkiv
Putin said the advance of Russian forces in Donbas was continuing according to plan, adding that in August alone, about 270 square kilometers of territory and 15 settlements in Donetsk region had come under Russian control.
Putin also claimed that a group of about 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been encircled on the eastern shore of the Krasnooskolskoye Reservoir and that the process of destroying the group had begun. Saying that the encirclement of another Ukrainian military group in Kharkiv region had been completed, Putin said the development would allow the contact line to be pushed approximately 20 kilometers farther from the Russian border.
Asked about the possibility of attacks targeting representatives of the Ukrainian administration, Putin said Russia did not carry out such attacks. Describing some remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a step toward terrorism, Putin said they did not yet amount to a transition to terrorism. He said that if such a situation arose, Russia would find the means to respond.
Military facilities in Ukraine identified as targets
Putin declared that all military facilities in Ukraine were legitimate targets for the Russian armed forces. Saying that British military facilities in Ukraine could also be targeted if they were present there, Putin responded that this was a military secret when asked whether military-industrial facilities within the United Kingdom might be targeted.
Drone incident in Leipzig
Putin linked the accusations directed at Moscow over a reported drone incident in Leipzig to domestic political developments in Germany.
Putin said businesses were closing and jobs were being lost in Germany, and demanded evidence for the accusations directed at Russia. He argued that developments in Germany were being explained as a response to the allegedly aggressive Russia.
Message on working with US negotiators
Putin said it was comfortable for Russia to work with the American negotiators chosen by US President Donald Trump, adding that they knew them well and trusted them. He said Russia was ready to work with anyone who could make a concrete contribution to the negotiation process, including military personnel and diplomats.
Putin said Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were always welcome guests in Russia. Regarding the recent visit to Moscow by the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, he said contacts between intelligence agencies had always continued.
Putin said intelligence agencies had maintained contacts even during the most difficult periods of the Cold War, adding that direct communication was currently taking place between agency heads. He also announced that a US citizen held in a Russian prison had been handed over to the US side for health reasons.
Relations with Armenia and the military base
Putin said Russia was ready to withdraw from Armenia if the Armenian government believed it did not need the Russian military base, adding that the base’s future depended on Yerevan’s position.
Putin said Russia and Armenia had agreed to continue their dialogue in a calm and constructive manner, adding that the current problems between the two countries had begun with developments around Karabakh. Saying that Yerevan had recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, Putin noted that bonds of friendship united Russia and the Armenian people.
Putin argued that Armenia could not be part of both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union at the same time. He announced that he had invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Moscow to discuss concrete areas of bilateral cooperation, including railway connections.
Putin said Armenia benefited from significant privileges within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, including access to Russian energy resources at low prices, and highlighted the economic ties between the two countries.
