Putin on Israel-Palestine Conflict: We Need to Think About Civilian Population

BISHKEK (Sputnik) - The participants of the Israel-Palestine conflict need to think about the civilian population, despite the serious escalation of actions on both sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

"Of course, we understand the logic of events, but despite all the escalation on both sides, I still think that, of course, we need to think about the civilian population," Putin told a press conference, following his visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Israel faced an unprecedented attack that has never happened in its history, but the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are responding with quite brutal methods, the president noted.

"Not all people [in Gaza Strip] support Hamas, by the way. Not all of them. Should everyone suffer? Including women and children? Well, surely, hardly anyone will agree with this," Putin added.

The Palestinian people have the right to expect the creation of an independent state, just as they were promised, the Russian president stressed.

Evacuation of Russian Citizens From Israel

Russia is ready to evacuate citizens out of Israel at any time, as soon as there are the conditions for this are right, the president emphasized.

"We are ready at any time when there are right conditions for this. There are bombings every day," Putin stated.

Russia's Relations With Georgia

Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi are "even," Georgia has a great interest in cooperation with its neighbors, the president stated.

"In Georgia, our relations are so even at the moment. They also have a great interest in cooperation with their neighbors," Putin stressed.

Moldova Receives Gas From Russia

Moldova still receives gas from Russia and pays the price that proposed by Kishinev, the president noted.

“We recently heard that Moldova refused Russian gas… So, it turns out, they didn’t refuse, and they still receives it safely… They receive it at the prices that they themselves offered to Russia’s Gazprom,” Putin emphasized.

The Russian president also said that Moldova currently pays for Russia gas despite issues in the past, as they cannot cope with Russian energy yet.

Armenia Stays in CIS

The Russian president said that he had held a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, adding that Armenia was not leaving the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

"Prime minister Pashinyan called me, we had a phone conversation. We spoke about today's summit [of the CIS]. There are circumstances [of Pashinyan's absence at the summit] that I consider rather clear. I will not talk about it, you'd better ask the Armenian prime minister about it. But as I understand, Armenia is not leaving the CIS," Putin stressed.

Putin Calls Creation of Joint CIS Air Defense Important

The creation of a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is very important, with all countries agreeing with it and expressing willingness to develop it, the president stated.

"It is a very important measure — the creation of an air defense system, especially given that it generally involves high-technology and expensive elements to ensure security of all our countries. That is why everyone agreed with that, and not just that, they also expressed willingness to develop this element of security. That is why we will move forward on this matter," Putin told a press conference when asked about the prospects of the creation of a joint CIS air defense system.

Russian Peacekeepers in Karabakh

The mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh officially expires in November 2025, so this issue will have to be resolved in the near future, the president stated.

“Formally, our peacekeepers will be there until November 2025, and we, of course, in dialogue with partners will have to determine and resolve the issue of what and how we will do in the near future, but we will decide this during the negotiations,” Putin highlighted.

Russia is ready to facilitate resumption of talks between Baku and Yerevan, Putin added. The Russian president mentioned that both, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, are aware of this.

EU's Proposals to Kiev to Destroy Ukrainian Industry

Proposals made by the European Union for Ukraine were equivalent to the destruction of the country's all key industries, and this process is seen now, the president emphasized.

"If you read what the EU proposed to Ukraine back then and what is likely being implemented, it was just equivalent to the destruction of all key industries that once Soviet Ukraine was proud of. But now we witness that there is nothing left there already," Putin stressed.

Corruption in Ukraine: How Arms Went From Kiev to Hamas

The president doubts that there were arms supplies to Hamas from Ukraine, but there certainly was a leak of weapons from Ukraine.

"I doubt that there were arms shipments from Ukraine, but I have no doubt that there was a leak of weapons from Ukraine. The level of corruption in Ukraine is known — very high. The black market develops in such a way that there are many who want to buy, and there are many who want to sell in Ukraine," Putin stressed.

Russia has information on arms sales by Ukraine, including to the Middle East, but it is unlikely that this is done at the leadership level in Kiev, Putin added.

China's Belt And Road Initiative

The Russian president stated that the main topic of his upcoming vsit to China is the cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“The trip to the People’s Republic of China has been discussed for a long time and has already been announced. The main topic is cooperation within the framework of the initiative Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss his idea of ​​the Belt and Road Initiative,” Putin told reporters, adding that there are no issues in the Moscow-Beijing cooperation, only “synergy.”

The Russian president also said that he plans to discuss new routes in the energy sector and stimulating payments in national currencies during his trip to China.

Putin also did not rule out visiting other countries after China, but mentioning that nothing of that sort is planned yet.

Russian Military Base in Kyrgyzstan

Russia's military base Kant in Kyrgyzstan is a deterrent for various extremists in the region, the president stated.

"It [the military base] is an acting facility. I have already said where and how they worked, it is a deterrent for various extremists," Putin emphasized.

Reselience of Russian Economy

Russia's macroeconomic indicators are good, the economy is stable, but the currency regulation will have to be revised, the president stressed.

"Our economy is stable. Macroeconomic indicators are good. And they are predicted for the next six months-one year easily and freely. The issue is simply currency regulation," Putin highlighted.

Moscow had previously completely abandoned currency regulation, but in modern conditions "our economic operators prefer to leave a significant part of foreign exchange earnings abroad," the president explained.

"The volume of imports has increased, and the desire to leave revenue abroad has multiplied. Of course, all this is connected with the economy, but not with the fundamental parameters of the Russian economy today. They are stable… But the regulation will definitely have to be completely revised," Putin said.

Blast at Balticconnector Gas Pipeline

The president denied Russia's involvement in the blast at the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, saying that he did not even know about the existence of this route.

"It is complete nonsense. To be honest, I didn't even know anything about the existence of this pipeline since it pumps very low volumes. I don't know how much it pumps, but if the Nord Stream pipelines pump 55 billion cubic meters each, these pump 5-10 billion each at most. Moreover, I say it once again that I didn't even know that this pipeline even exists," Putin emphasized.

Various accusations against Russia, including its alleged involvement in attacks against foreign pipelines, are aimed at covering the terrorist attack committed by the West against the Nord Stream pipelines, among other things, the president added.

Dollar Exchange Rate

The decree on the sale of foreign exchange earnings was signed because the dollar exchange rate needs to be "slightly lower" for the budget, the president stated.

On Wednesday, Putin signed a law on the mandatory sale of foreign currency revenue received by some Russian exporters under foreign trade contracts. Individual companies will be required to submit to the Central Bank and the Federal Financial Monitoring Service Rosfinmonitoring plans-schedules for buying and selling foreign currency on the domestic market.

"We need a slightly lower rate for the budget. If everything was alright, then there would have been no decree [on foreign exchange earnings]," Putin noted.

The dollar exchange rate against the ruble is not related to any problems in the country's economy, the president said.