“Everything works stably for us”

Putin gave an “interview” with a teleprompter: problems with gasoline are “not critical”; Kyiv offered to stop striking deep into Russia - but the Kremlin refused

On the evening of June 28, the Kremlin released a 25-minute “interview” of Vladimir Putin with propagandist Pavel Zarubin. In the published video, the president can be seen looking away from the correspondent while reading answers to questions on a teleprompter. The Kremlin press service did not mention Zarubin himself, referring to him simply as a “Russian journalist.” During the “interview,” Putin said that the fuel shortage in Russia is “not critical,” and the authorities intend to combat it by increasing air defense systems. He also said that Ukraine has come up with a new peace proposal - both sides stop attacks deep into the territories - but the Kremlin has already rejected it. Here are the main points of his speech.

About the fuel crisis

The President of the Russian Federation admitted that attacks on infrastructure “create problems.” “We are now experiencing a certain shortage, but not critical,” he said. The first thing that, according to Putin, needs to be done to combat fuel shortages is to “quickly and significantly increase the production of the most popular air defense systems.”

Also, he believes, it is necessary to “get out of repairs” at oil refineries more quickly and ensure the “required volume of imports” of fuel.

“There is damage,” he emphasized. “But all damaged objects are restored quite quickly, and the problems that arise are not critical.”

Everything works stably and with a large margin of safety.

The President of the Russian Federation also stated that fuel supplies to Crimea “will be increased both by land and by sea,” where back in May there was a shortage of gasoline due to attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the R-280 Novorossiya highway, through which the annexed peninsula is supplied. Putin did not specify exactly how this would happen, but expressed confidence that “this task will be solved.”

According to Putin, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strikes on oil refining infrastructure are “part of an information operation,” the purpose of which is “to create in us self-doubt, in our abilities, and, even better, to lead to a split in Russian society.”

We won't give them that chance.

“All strikes, no matter where they are delivered to our infrastructure, have absolutely no effect on the situation at the front, on the line of combat contact,” he added.

About Ukraine's new peace proposal

Putin said that the Ukrainian authorities offered Russia “a cessation of attacks deep into the territories on both sides.” The Kremlin did not accept this proposal, he said. “Our retaliatory strikes deep into the territory of Ukraine are much more powerful, sensitive and, frankly speaking, destructive, leading to really serious consequences,” Putin emphasized.

In addition, the President of the Russian Federation said, Ukraine proposed to limit hostilities to the territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and to stop hostilities in all other territories. And Russia refused to accept this offer.

“If we go for this, this will enable the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw its troops from the Nikolaev region, Dnepropetrovsk region, Kharkov and Sumy regions, as well as from some sections of the state border and transfer these units to the four above-mentioned regions,” Putin said.

In conditions of a catastrophic shortage of personnel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently believe that this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.

Next, Putin devoted a significant part of his speech to what, according to the data he has, the situation at the front looks like. The Faridaily publication notes that Putin was clearly reading from a prompter, probably due to the abundance of toponyms, he was looking not at Zarubin, but to the side, and squinted.

About the “spirit of Anchorage” and Trump

At the summit in Anchorage, Putin confirmed, no agreements were indeed reached.

The “Spirit of Anchorage” was not presented in any formal documents; no one put any signatures.

Still, Putin said, “compromises and certain possibilities” for ending the war were discussed.

A few days ago, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that during the summit in Alaska, only proposals to end Russia’s war with Ukraine were discussed, but no agreements were reached. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in turn, insists that if the United States put forward proposals for a settlement, and Russia agreed with them, then one cannot say “that there was no agreement.”

Putin also commented on Western media reports that European leaders managed to convince US President Donald Trump to change his mind about the balance of power in Russia’s war with Ukraine.

I doubt this is possible. Trump is a mature politician, more than a mature and experienced politician.

“We are people, we all listen to our opponents and allies, we listen and can somehow adjust our point of view. But in such a way as to completely convince you. In any case, I don’t know anything about this yet, I don’t know anything about it,” Putin said.