Regarding a new offensive in Ukraine, Putin said: "There are other tasks at the moment. After that we will see." Russia is "not aiming to destroy Ukraine," the Russian head of state assured.
Russia is also not planning any further mobilization of reservists beyond the partial mobilization announced so far, said Putin. In the "foreseeable future" he sees no need to call in more reservists. So far, 222,000 reservists have been called to arms, and the planned number of 300,000 will be reached in around two weeks. Of the conscripts, 16,000 are already “in combat units”.
The situation is currently "not pleasant," said Putin. However, if Russia hadn't invaded Ukraine in February, "we would have been in the same position a little later, but the conditions would have been worse for us".
On the question of a possible meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia next month, Putin said he "frankly sees no need for it". It has not yet been decided whether he will personally fly to the summit in Bali. However, he was open to talks with Ukraine and to mediation efforts by countries such as Turkey. For the first time, the Kremlin chief also admitted that Russia's other partner countries in the ex-Soviet Union were "concerned" about the conflict in Ukraine.
Almost eight months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, the Ukrainian army is steadily recapturing areas in the east and south of the country. On Friday, the military celebrated the Day of Defenders of Ukraine for the first time since the Russian invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised victory for Ukrainian troops over Russian forces on the occasion of the holiday. "The world is behind us, more than ever," Zelenskyj said in a video message. "It makes us stronger than ever before in our history," he added. The President thanked everyone who is fighting "for Ukraine".
On Thursday evening, Zelenskyy accused Russia of sending reservists to Ukraine as "cannon fodder" because of its partial mobilization. The increase in troops creates "tangible pressure" on the Ukrainian army.
The Red Cross on Friday demanded immediate access to all prisoners of war in the Ukraine war. The lack of access so far is "frustrating," said spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC), Ewan Watson. According to the Geneva Convention, parties to international violent conflicts must grant the ICRC immediate access to prisoners of war and "the right to visit them wherever they are being held," Watson stressed.
Meanwhile, the UN special representative for sexual violence in conflicts, Pramila Patten, accused Russia of using rapes by Russian soldiers as a "clear military strategy" in the Ukraine war. "All indications" are that sexual violence is being used as a weapon in the Ukraine war, she told the AFP news agency. It is a "deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims".
The Russian government, meanwhile, ordered the complete restoration of the bridge to the Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Ukraine and severely damaged by an explosion. The destroyed parts of the building should be restored by July 1 next year, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered in a decree signed on Friday.
