Considering that European NATO partners are urgently trying to expand the Ukraine conflict and assemble a united NATO war effort against the Russian Federation, it is worth reviewing the current position of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin held a press conference on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan.  A transcript is below:

Olga Knyazeva: Today, very much attention is given to our contacts with the United States. The CIA director has reportedly visited [Moscow] to offer trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine talks.

Do you think we need any negotiation tracks now or possibly new intermediaries, including American ones?

Vladimir Putin: First, communication between our intelligence services is maintained at all times. You may have noticed that we have recently handed over to the American side an American citizen who was serving a prison term in Russia. We did that for health and humanitarian reasons. He is a simple guy, a drinker and a brawler with health problems, so we sent him home to get medical assistance.

It was my first point. Communication is and was always maintained, even in the most difficult periods of the Cold War, and even more so now. Direct contacts are also maintained between the senior officials of our intelligence services.

As for expanding the number of negotiators, we believe that negotiations, any kind of negotiations, should be primarily filled with concrete content. If anyone is making or can make a practical contribution to this process, we are all for it.

The only thing we would like to avoid is to carry on a senseless process. If anyone can make a positive contribution to this negotiating process, which has been frozen to some extent, as we see this, we would not be against this. But this requires the involvement of specialists, the military and diplomats, of course.

On the other hand, we are quite comfortable with working with those who we know well and generally trust. These people are close to President Trump. In my opinion, they are sincere people who try to add practical content to our efforts. And President [Trump] trusts them, which is very important and without which no negotiations are possible. The thing is that everything is pointless if these people coordinate some issues with us but their top leader reviews the arrangements they make and divides them by a thousand or more. As far as we can see, he trusts them. That is why Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff are always welcome here, and we enjoy working with them.

Viktor Sineok:  Russian troops are currently advancing towards Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, and strikes on Ukrainian military facilities are ongoing. Has the turning point in this conflict already been reached, and will the enemy, as the saying goes, begin to crumble? Or does that moment still lie ahead? And what is the present situation at the front, and how do you assess it?

Vladimir Putin: I have no doubt whatsoever that the enemy will, indeed, crumble. Matters of precise timing are always exceedingly complex, and these are precisely the questions to which it is best not to attempt definitive answers – neither in respect of timing nor of any other specifics. For war is an enterprise that is harsh and difficult to predict.

Nevertheless, questions of the sort you have just raised invariably arise at every meeting with media representatives. That is why, before entering this hall, I proceeded to my office upstairs and have just spoken directly with the Chief of the General Staff. I would note, however, that the information I receive is sourced from a wide array of channels, from virtually all command bodies of the special services and our agencies which, in one manner or another, are engaged in the special military operation. Accordingly, the picture – at least as it appears to me – is fairly objective. I have just received the latest reports from him [Valery Gerasimov] and from other colleagues.

I would like to add, of course, that hostilities always involve casualties, which is sad and it is always a tragedy and faces us with new challenges, especially at this time of rapid scientific and technological development.

The biggest challenge is posed by unmanned vehicles, which operate in all spheres – underwater, on sea, land and in the air. This is a serious challenge to us, but we are coping with it. I am confident that all tasks in this sphere will be fulfilled. I have no doubt whatsoever about this. I can conclude this from the speed our defence enterprises have accumulated.

But there is more to it. You know, I was pleased with my meetings with representatives of small and medium-sized businesses and our nascent engineering schools. The average age of their engineering professionals is 35 years. I have recently held such a meeting and I was really pleased and impressed by this fact. We may be lagging behind or moving ahead of the enemy in some spheres, but we will certainly overcome all challenges and fulfil all our tasks.

But the main thing I would like to say in reply to your question is this. Despite all challenges, Russian forces are accelerating their offensive in the zone of the special military operation. They are not simply advancing but accelerating their movement.

The liberation of the Donetsk People’s Republic is proceeding as planned. I would like to note that in August alone we assumed control over 270 square kilometres of the republic’s territory and 15 localities. Here are the details.

The units of the South Group of Forces are confidently, I repeat, confidently advancing, overcoming the defence lines and engineering fortifications of the enemy, advancing… (Addressing Viktor Sineok) You have said “charging ahead.” Well, they may not exactly be charging ahead, but they do move unhurriedly in a high drone threat environment, advancing towards the eastern suburbs of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk and the southern suburbs of Druzhkovka, which are between 1.5 and 4 kilometres away in different sections of the frontline. Moreover, they are approaching Druzhkovka from several directions, bypassing it in the south and approaching it from the east.

Troops from the Centre group are advancing on several key axes simultaneously and are now engaged in street-by-street fighting to take the city of Dobropolye. This is a major, heavily fortified logistics hub, with both permanent and semi-permanent defensive structures in place. I will not tempt fate by predicting the outcome, but I am confident the result will come.

Forces from the West group – I am not sure whether this has been reported in the media – have encircled a large enemy contingent on the eastern bank of the Krasnooskol Reservoir, near the village of Peski-Radkovskiye, and have begun to neutralise it. Thirteen Ukrainian armed forces battalions, totalling around 5,000 troops, are trapped in the pocket. This happened recently, and I do not know whether the Ministry of Defence has issued any statement or has been able to confirm it. The figure is probably somewhere around 4,500 to 4,800 troops – roughly that number. Moreover, this encirclement has been physically sealed. That is to say, not just under fire control, but physically complete – we have them fully surrounded and are now tightening the ring.

The offensive in the Zaporozhye Region is also proceeding actively. Units and formations of the Vostok and Dnepr groups are pushing forward on a broad front towards Zaporozhye. They liberated nine communities in August, and fighting is now underway in the central districts of Orekhov. The troops there are operating calmly, but with great confidence.

The North group of forces continues to establish a buffer zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border in the border areas of the Sumy Region (there are now only 12 kilometres left to Sumy itself, before the ring road) and also in the Kharkov Region. Over the past month, 14 communities have come under Russian control, including the liberation of Kazachya Lopan and, as of yesterday, the town of Svyatogorsk.

In the north-eastern part of the Kharkov Region, another enemy grouping of up to 2,000 troops has been completely encircled. The pocket formed there is substantial – 460 square kilometres – and encompasses 27 communities. Its elimination will allow the line of contact in this sector to be pushed back by at least 20 kilometres from the border areas of the Belgorod Region.

I would like to remind you that our actions were taken in response to the Kiev authorities’ provocation, namely their incursion into the Kursk Region.

We continue to target Ukrainian military facilities, industrial enterprises, and the port and logistics infrastructure that operate in the interests of the Ukrainian armed forces. As you know, we are doing this in response to the Ukrainian regime’s continued attacks on Russia’s civilian infrastructure and its fuel and energy complex, including oil refineries. I have been told that last night a large number of drones tried to get past the air defence systems of Moscow and St Petersburg, targeting civilian facilities, including oil refineries. They attempted to hit three oil refineries. Taking all this into account – the attacks on Russia and these facilities – the Russian Armed Forces were instructed to prepare and deliver mass strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities. They are targeting our facilities; we strike back. This is roughly the situation.

Alexander Yunashev: May I ask an additional question about drones?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, you may.

Alexander Yunashev: Good afternoon, Mr President.

The German authorities have stated that Russia is behind the drone incident in Leipzig, claiming that it was a Russian drone armed with explosives. However, this is a murky story. They have denounced the lease for the Russian House and want to shut down our consulate general in Berlin. At the same time, Zelensky openly threatened our air force several hours ago, saying that civilian aircraft have no place in the sky used by Ukrainian drones.

What can you say about this?

Vladimir Putin: Let’s start with the first part, about the actions of the German authorities. I believe that it mostly has to do with the internal political situation. The Chancellor’s political standing is complicated. He is not trusted by his citizens, and it is clear why – because he does not uphold but sells out national interests, and because of apparent economic missteps: enterprises are being shut down, people are losing their jobs, and living standards are plummeting. It is not clear why they did what they did. They have only one explanation: they need to stand up against “aggressive Russia.” You want proof? Here you are; they have planted it.

I would like to remind everyone that some time ago – several months or even a year ago – the German authorities accused Russia of blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline. I was really surprised that they came up with such a strange idea because we were interested in selling gas to Europe. We would be ready to provide gas today too. They only need to press the button, to make the decision to do it. But they don’t have the stomach for this, because of the US sanctions and everything else.

Good, but now they need to explain the reasons behind their actions. Considering the falling ratings and the upcoming elections, including in Saxony, this puts the political future of the German ruling circles in question. I believe that this is the explanation. I think that this is yet another blunder, and that it runs contrary to the interests of the German people.

What was the other part of your question, about a statement?

Alexander Yunashev: Zelensky has said that the skies are unsafe for civilian airlines. Is this a threat?

Vladimir Putin: I have not heard such statements, but if he did say this publicly, this sounds like a claim to state terrorism. I would like to note that they are asking us to resume talks and hold personal meetings. We don’t negotiate with terrorists. This is the first point.

Now, about the second part of your question. If, God forbid, such tragedies happen, we will provide a reply, let no one be in any doubt about this.

Gleb Ivanov: Mr President, you have recently signed an executive order authorising the Government to place critical infrastructure facilities under temporary administration if their security is not ensured. Could you elaborate on this executive order? First, in what cases do you intend to implement this, and second, could this lead to the nationalisation of these assets, turning them into state property?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Of course not. What are you talking about? This is not a matter of nationalising anything – do not even think about it. There was never any such intention behind this move. Nationalisation is not an option. What compelled us to do this was quite straightforward. There is a saying, you know, that a man will not lock the barn door until after the horse is stolen. The adversary has started targeting civilian sites, including oil refineries. Did the adversary succeed in inflicting damage? It did. But why? Among other factors, and primarily because they were not protected. Unfortunately, our companies – I have had many face-to-face and collective meetings with them – these companies have been saying: “This is a matter for the law enforcement agencies, the army, etc. to handle.” But once we discussed this, they understood that they also had to be part of this effort.

Let me assure you… I said that there were attempts to target three oil refineries this night alone. These attempts failed. Why? Because these facilities were already protected. This does not mean that no strikes will ever get through. It might happen every now and then, but this elevates the protection to a whole new level. We have yet to complete repairs at just 10 percent of our oil refineries, so there is no way we can afford to have those of them that were repaired suffer from any strikes.

Therefore, we must all work together. This executive order is designed to achieve just that: to enable public administrations on the ground, including in municipalities, cities, regions and republics of the Russian Federation, as well as law enforcement agencies, and the Defence Ministry to work together to defend critical sites. This is all there is to it in terms of the purpose of this executive order. And it works, you know.

Of course, everything is possible, and there is always a possibility that something penetrates these defences somewhere, since the defences are not always effective. That said, this is the purpose of this executive order. And we can see that it works. (MORE)

[There is more about the current politics of Armenia]

Meanwhile in Brussels, EU leaders are assembling a war cabinet: