Vladimir Putin

In an interview with RFE/RL, New York Times White House correspondent Peter Baker discusses the response of the Biden administration to the war in Ukraine ...

Baker: I think, broadly, it was hoping and thinking that Putin was really going to be a friend, that he was going to be a Westernizer in a real way, that he really wanted to be part of the community of nations. Trump, of course, is the outlier in the sense that he openly embraced Putin, he openly said Putin was to be admired. Now that may not be a win compared to what they thought they were going to get, and Americans and Ukrainians and Europeans will certainly look at getting back to the February 24 lines as a remarkable victory [for Ukraine] over an overwhelming power. And it's the danger of spiral that gets out of control, that most worries people in the White House that I talked to. A lot of people think that was an unwise swap, that one for the other was not equivalent and…will only encourage bad actors around the world to seize Americans in order to achieve the goals that they want to achieve, [or if] they want to get someone out of an American prison. Every president wants to have a better relationship with Russia, and for a while it actually kind of did produce some decent results for Obama, but of course, inevitably, alienated Putin all over again with the Libya war…. I think the calculation on the part of the administration was: Yeah, this is a lopsided deal. Baker: It's less about what I think, but what people who are experts think and what I'd say is, a lot of people who are smart about this would say that the revealing of intelligence in advance of the war, in advance of the invasion, was an unusual and effective strategy that we hadn't seen before. And I think that's partly because the Americans called them on it in advance of the invasion…. So I think that [the] revealing of the intelligence, in a way, surprised the Russians and kept them from creating this false narrative that they were the aggrieved party in some way. In an interview with RFE/RL, Baker discusses the response of the Biden administration to the war in Ukraine -- and the many miscalculations U.S. A bestselling author who is now covering his fifth administration as the White House correspondent for The New York Times, Peter Baker was a reporter in Moscow in the early days of the presidency of Vladimir Putin, who came to power in 2000.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia has “no limitations” on military spending for the war in Ukraine, as he urged the army to deliver on his declared goals ...

Vladimir Putin has hit back at claims the Kremlin has left Russia's armed forces fighting without key equipment, saying the war in Ukraine could be financed ...

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Amid a stalling situation in Ukraine, Moscow's Defence Ministry has called for the number of military personnel to be increased from 1 million to 1.5 ...

Putin also announced that the new Zircon hypersonic missile would enter into service in Russia’s navy in January. He claims that the projectile has “no equivalent in the world”. At an end-of-year meeting of Russia's top defence chiefs, the Russian president said: "Everything a serviceman needs should be modern, comfortable and reliable.

In a conference of Russia's leading military officials, Mr Putin was told such a move was required "to guarantee the solving of problems related to Russia's ...

In a conference of Russia's leading military officials, Mr Shoigu said such a move was required "to guarantee the solving of problems related to Russia's military security". He said the country's military should learn lessons and modernise based on its experiences in Ukraine and special emphasis will go to developing his country's nuclear forces, which he described as "the main guarantee of Russia's sovereignty". He'd heard the criticism about supplies - some of it legitimate, some of it "emotional", he said - and he'd make sure the armed forces learned from their experiences and lacked for nothing going forward. In a conference of Russia's leading military officials, Mr Putin was told such a move was required "to guarantee the solving of problems related to Russia's military security". He told military leaders to analyse the Western weapons used by Ukraine to "develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops". Vladimir Putin has supported a plan to expand the size of Russia's armed forces - and learn from the problems his nation has suffered during the Ukraine conflict.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared Wednesday that the country needs a force of 1.5 million “to guarantee the fulfillment of tasks to ensure ...

In August, Putin ordered an increase in the size of the Russian military to 1.15 million starting on Jan. In addition to the military wage, authorities also promised them extra payments for taking part in combat and bonuses. All Russian men ages 18 to 27 are obliged to serve in the military for one year, but many use college deferments and health exemptions to avoid the draft. He said that the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will enter service shortly. He specifically underlined the importance of enhancing communications and improving artillery tactics. But authorities’ concerns that the mobilization could fuel broad discontent haven’t materialized, and sporadic protests across Russia have failed to gain momentum. The Russian military currently has about 1 million soldiers, compared with China’s force of 2 million and the U.S. Shoigu declared that the existing infantry, airborne and marine brigades will be reshaped into divisions, the bigger units that Russia had in the past and that the U.S. He also announced that several new divisions will be formed. That number is counted as part of the military’s current strength. Some regional authorities promised to top that with their own bonuses. The Russian military last reported its combat losses in September, when it said 5,937 troops were killed, but the West had much higher estimates.

President Biden on Wednesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using “winter as a weapon,” remarks he made at the top of a bilateral meeting ...

Zelensky’s visit to Washington is the first time he has been known to leave Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February. He’s interested in killing more civilian Ukrainians and knocking out the lights and knocking out the heat as the winter approaches. He added that Putin is “escalating his assaults on civilians” and trying to “use winter as a weapon.” “That is your leadership. Putin is obviously not interested in diplomacy right now, quite the contrary. And, you know, it’s an honor to be by your side,” Biden said to Zelensky at their historic meeting.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin described the fighting in Ukraine as a “tragedy” but vowed to pursue his campaign there until its goals are ...

viewing it as too big and posing a potential threat,” Putin said “We always considered the Ukrainian people as brotherly, and I still think so,” Putin declared Wednesday. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected such rhetoric and described the Russian attack as an unprovoked act of aggression.

Frida Ghitis writes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the US Congress was far more than just a plea for help or a thank you note.

[ugly voices disparaging Zelensky](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/mailtrack.io/trace/link/02db1c48ed2e95118a6c5059467080d6bcb163ca?url=https*3A*2F*2Ftwitter.com*2FFridaGhitis*2Fstatus*2F1605615675451523081*3Fs*3D20*26t*3DWKBnc9ZWf9b_h3cAaT4X5g&userId=3243276&signature=642209f4f738d967__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!AQdq3sQhfUj4q8uUguY!n5bHivFzYa_YGjK5efV2WQOdaiM3UWRevxgEERtlHrPAw9_xK15E_gv43zrMbKCk3c4TgCKc2oBMeOzOfTif4Xdi4o5jbQ$), Russia could ultimately win, and the world as we know it would change. [against Nazis in 1944](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/mailtrack.io/trace/link/93a312bafb4c964c1954fafca39f05209f165b49?url=https*3A*2F*2Ftwitter.com*2FFridaGhitis*2Fstatus*2F1605727413064945664*3Fs*3D20*26t*3DGOO4J5KKF_GmXqDcgXV2hA&userId=3243276&signature=d6df82dc46d6c248__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!AQdq3sQhfUj4q8uUguY!n5bHivFzYa_YGjK5efV2WQOdaiM3UWRevxgEERtlHrPAw9_xK15E_gv43zrMbKCk3c4TgCKc2oBMeOzOfTif4XcOHL75RA$). And that is happening just as Putin is [believed to be planning a renewed offensive](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/15/ukraine-says-putin-is-preparing-major-offensive-in-new-year). [signed by its defenders](https://twitter.com/FridaGhitis/status/1605730700195291136?s=20&t=WKBnc9ZWf9b_h3cAaT4X5g) – as a gift to the U.S. [Kevin McCarthy](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/politics/kevin-mccarthy-mitch-mcconnell-collision-course/index.html), the likely new Speaker of the House, have expressed some reluctance to continue large-scale support for Kyiv, with McCarthy saying he wouldn’t automatically support the Biden administration’s requests for more aid. [Biden’s hand on Zelensky’s shoulder](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/mailtrack.io/trace/link/669389e8c8755367b1a8bc18ee88fb38a11d6f3b?url=https*3A*2F*2Ftwitter.com*2FFridaGhitis*2Fstatus*2F1605642996849836033*3Fs*3D20*26t*3DKl6EMaHuh8dUkX_xBslJAA&userId=3243276&signature=929daaca9dbe8dbf__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!AQdq3sQhfUj4q8uUguY!n5bHivFzYa_YGjK5efV2WQOdaiM3UWRevxgEERtlHrPAw9_xK15E_gv43zrMbKCk3c4TgCKc2oBMeOzOfTif4XdT61AdrQ$). [as he did](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/12/21/remarks-by-president-biden-and-president-zelenskyy-of-ukraine-in-joint-press-conference/) in a press conference at the White House after speaking with Zelensky for more than two hours, “And it was very important for him and everyone else to see that President Zelenskyy and I are united, two countries together, to make sure he cannot succeed…. The warmth [exuded ](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/mailtrack.io/trace/link/86914d1fd7f7494441427fe42b99b64ca2b9adaa?url=https*3A*2F*2Fwww.cnn.com*2Feurope*2Flive-news*2Frussia-ukraine-war-news-12-21-22*2Fh_bf1b68c63aa332d4fa9343ec21527dbb&userId=3243276&signature=5bda9d6d5952476e__;JSUlJSUlJQ!!AQdq3sQhfUj4q8uUguY!n5bHivFzYa_YGjK5efV2WQOdaiM3UWRevxgEERtlHrPAw9_xK15E_gv43zrMbKCk3c4TgCKc2oBMeOzOfTif4XeSOvxMMQ$)by so many members of Congress as they greeted him. “It is an investment in the global security and democracy, that we handle in the most responsible way.” [@fridaghitis](https://twitter.com/FridaGhitis)) a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. The visit would have to wait until a different American president, and it would be too late to prevent Putin’s assault. The entire day was geared to three audiences – the American people and its leaders, the Ukrainian people and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN's Jake Tapper and Jim Sciutto react to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the US Congress where he was received with enthusiastic ...

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The war in Ukraine is hitting grim milestones that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably never expected when it began earlier this year.

"Russia, however, is unlikely to efficiently address the fundamental flaws of its military structure—certainly not in any short period of time—and that failure will likely revitalize criticism," ISW said. Russia hasn't publicly stated their losses in the war, which includes the death of its personnel. The think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) released its daily analysis of the war, stating that Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu acknowledged their country's shortcomings in the 10 months of war. It's been close to a year since Russia began positioning troops along Ukraine's northern and western borders in late January while it also conducted military with neighboring Belarus. "Putin has intensified efforts to make peace with the critical pro-war nationalist community," ISW reported. Putin and Shoigu tried assuring the consortium in Moscow that Russia has learned from mistakes in the war of aggression.

As if the war isn't bleak enough, Vladimir Putin and his band of cronies are now demanding Russians stick to 'traditional' modes of entertainment only.

“This is the end of culture as we know it, since culture cannot be divided into pro or anti-Western.” “We are not the West, we are a state with a 1,000-year-long history.” “Let’s calculate how much that is going to cost, so the program could be realized in 2 to 3 years,” Motviyenko said. Russian children traditionally go to “Elochka” carnivals during the holidays, but the guidelines for this year’s events are different for some families. It’s sad that we needed the regime of the special operation to come to this.” Addressing the West, Kibovsky added: “We are not your monkeys any longer.” “Names of banned theater directors are taken off theatrical billboards, and schools have received ‘recommendation letters’ from ministries of culture and education advising children to wear costumes of Russian fairy tales, and not of Western animation characters.”

Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defense minister, said that Vladimir Putin wants to increase their armed forces to 1.5 Million combat personnel.

[Irkutsk](/topic/irkutsk), a person allegedly shot the top military recruiter as he was forced to enter the forces. Currently, [Russia](/topic/russia)has around 1.15 Million soldiers under its wing. That's the separatist-held region of Ukraine which Putin declared independent last week.

Some in the Russian president's entourage are searching for a way out of the Ukraine conflict. They should look to the history books, says academic and ...

This is only logical for now: Ukrainians are aware of their new superiority in conventional arms and want to press their advantage to the maximum. Will the Ukrainians push to regain all their lost territory or stop at the border of Crimea? If they do, the pressure on Putin to escalate would increase enormously. Nuclear escalation seems to be a joker that Putin wants to keep in play. Innumerable conferences, seminars and “games” have taken place in an attempt to learn the lessons. He was helped by the White House, which opened a line of secret communication via the Soviet ambassador. In September, Vladimir Putin [said](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/22/thursday-briefing-vladimir-putin-russia-nuclear-war-threat-truss-biden) that in the case of “a threat to territorial integrity of our country, in order to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly use all means at our disposal. No wonder that Biden, his people and the US military no longer share the Kennedy-era “gung-ho” approach to nuclear war. The tradition of telling bosses what they wanted to hear while sweeping awkward realities under the rug is not Soviet-Russian monopoly. Khrushchev’s gamble put Kennedy under immense pressure to authorise a first strike against the Soviet Union. At first, tropical storms prevented U-2 reconnaissance planes discovering Soviet missiles in situ, but as the weather improved the inevitable happened – palm trees, it turned out, weren’t enough of a disguise. He feared arrogant Americans would attempt to overthrow the Castro regime, thereby humiliating the Soviet Union, Cuba’s sponsor.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution.

"We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course." He said he would sign a decree early next week to set out Russia's response. It's just prolonging the conflict, that's all." He said it was "quite old" and did not work like Russia's S-300 system. "Quite the contrary," Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. Kyiv says Russia must halt its attacks and give up all territory it has seized.

President Vladimir Putin says he still continues to see Ukraine as a brotherly nation.

Military officials vowed to continue the "special military operation" into 2023. He argued the conflict was "the result of the policy of third countries". In his address President Putin continued: "There's nothing to accuse us of. During his address President Putin said the West had "brainwashed" post-Soviet republics, starting with Ukraine. In February, President Putin sent up to 200,000 troops into Ukraine sparking a war which has led to tens of thousands of deaths. During a televised address with senior military officials, the Russian president said he continued to see Ukraine as a "brotherly nation".