No Army in the World Has This, Says Putin

You would very much like Russia to be in a weakened position, but I have a different viewpoint. This was the response of Russian President Vladimir Putin to a question from an NBC reporter who stated that Russia has not achieved its central military objectives and is losing generals.

Putin also noted that all NATO countries are at war against Russia, yet the combat readiness of the Russian army is at the highest level in the world. “No army in the world has this, Russia has become stronger and has truly become a sovereign country. Let's not pay attention to the opinions of others,” Putin added.

Regarding Syria, he stated that Russia's main goal was to prevent the establishment of a terrorist enclave there. This objective has been fulfilled. He also reminded that there were no Russian ground forces there, only military bases.

In response to questions about Russia's weakness, Putin quoted Mark Twain: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Responding to an NBC reporter's question about the assassination attempt on General Igor Kirillov, Putin stated that this is terrorism that has occurred in a manner dangerous to a large number of people. “We have never heard a condemnation of such terrorist attacks,” Putin emphasized.

To the question of whether Russia is ready to compromise with Kyiv, Putin replied, “Politics is the art of compromise; Russia has always been ready for negotiations.” The head of state reminded that in late 2022 agreements had already been reached with Kyiv, but Boris Johnson, “the man with the strange haircut,” prevented Ukraine from signing peace.