Russian President Vladimir Putin made the following comments to senior news agency editors on the conflict between Iran and Israel, NATO and the war in Ukraine.
The remarks were translated from Russian by Reuters reporters.
ASKED ABOUT HIS REACTION IF ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES KILLED IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI:
"If I may, I hope that this will be the most correct answer to your question. I do not even want to discuss this possibility. I do not want to."
"I hear all this, but I don't even want to discuss it."
ON POSSIBLE REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN:
"You always need to look at whether the goal is achieved or not when starting something. We see that today in Iran, with all the complexity of the internal political processes taking place there, we are aware of this, and I think there is no point in going deeper, but nevertheless there is a consolidation of society around the country's political leadership. This happens almost always and everywhere, and Iran is no exception. This is the first thing.
"The second thing that is very important is that everyone is talking about it, I will only repeat what we know and hear from all sides, these underground factories, they exist, nothing has happened to them. And in this regard, it seems to me that it would be right for everyone to look for ways to end hostilities and find ways for all parties to this conflict to come to an agreement with each other in order to ensure both Iran's interests, on the one hand, for its nuclear activities, including peaceful nuclear activities, of course (I mean peaceful nuclear energy and the peaceful atom in other areas), as well as to ensure the interests of Israel from the point of view of the unconditional security of the Jewish state. This is a delicate issue, and, of course, you need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, in general, such a solution can be found."
ON SUPPORTING IRAN:
"We are in contact with our Iranian partners on an ongoing basis. Today in contact. I think tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. We continue our relationship.
"And secondly, as I have already said, our specialists are working in Bushehr. 250 people and other business travellers. The total number can reach 600. And we're not leaving. Isn't that support? Iran has not asked us for any other support."
ON HELPING IRAN WITH WEAPONS:
"We once offered our Iranian friends to work in the field of air defense systems, but our partners didn't show much interest then, and that's it. As for the agreement you mentioned about the strategic partnership, there are no articles related to the defense sphere... And thirdly, our Iranian friends don't even ask us to do this. So there's practically nothing to discuss."
"Our proposal was to create a system, not separate supplies, but a system. We eventually discussed this once, but the Iranian side didn't show much interest in it, and it all died down. As for individual deliveries, yes, of course, we carried out these deliveries at one time. This has nothing to do with today's crisis. It was what is called regular cooperation in the military-technical sphere. And within the framework of international norms."
ON RELATIONS WITH U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:
Regarding a possible meeting with Mr. Trump, it would certainly be extremely useful. I agree with the President of the United States - it must, of course, be prepared and end with some positive results... We have great respect for his intention to restore relations with Russia in many areas of security and economic activity.
"There are already contacts between our large companies that want to return. This, by and large, inspires such a certain restrained optimism. And I hope that both the President of the United States and his inner circle will see and hear this. And together with business representatives, decisions will be made aimed at restoring Russian-American relations."
ON NATO:
"We do not consider any NATO rearmament to be a threat to the Russian Federation, because we are self-sufficient in terms of ensuring our security. And we are constantly improving our armed forces and our defensive capabilities. Whatever NATO does, of course, it creates certain threats, but we will stop all these threats that will arise. There is no doubt about it. In this sense, any rearmament and budget increase to 5% of the GDP of NATO countries makes no sense.
"Secondly. Over the centuries, unfortunately, in the West, from time to time, for decades, the question of the threat from Russia has always arisen. It was so convenient for the Western elites to build their internal policy, because on the basis of an imaginary threat from the east, they could extort money from taxpayers and all the time explain their own mistakes in the field of economics by the threat from the east.
"If the NATO countries want to further increase their budget, well, that's their business. But it won't do anyone any good. Of course, they will create additional risks. Well, yes, they will. But it's not our decision. I think this is completely irrational and pointless. And, of course, there are no threats from Russia. It's just nonsense."
ON RELATIONS WITH THE WEST:
"It is clear that the current crisis in relations between Russia and Western Europe began in 2014. But the problem is not that Russia annexed Crimea, but that Western countries contributed to the coup in Ukraine. We've heard all the time before: you have to live by the rules. By what rules? Well, what kind of rule is this when three states, France, Germany, and Poland, came to Kyiv and, as guarantors, signed a paper of agreements between the opposition and the authorities led by President (Viktor) Yanukovich. A few days later, the opposition launched a coup. And no one even sneezed, as if nothing had happened.
"And then we hear: we have to live by the rules. What are the rules? What are you thinking of? Do you write rules for others, but you're not going to follow anything yourself? Well, who's going to live like this? That's where the crisis started. But not because Russia acted from a position of strength.
"Our Western partners have always acted, at least from a position of strength, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Because the world order after World War Two was based on a balance of power between the victors. And now one of the winners is gone - the Soviet Union has collapsed. Well, the Westerners began to rewrite these rules for themselves. What are the rules?
ON WHETHER HE HAD MADE MISTAKES IN HIS TIME IN POWER:
"Let him who is without sin cast the first the stone. Let's leave it at that."
ON MEETING UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY:
"We are ready to meet, as I said, by the way, I am ready to meet with everyone, including Zelenskyy. Yes, that's not the question.
"If the Ukrainian state trusts someone to negotiate, for God's sake, let it be Zelenskyy. That's not the question. The question is who will sign the documents... When dealing with serious issues, it is important for us not to have a propaganda component, but a legal one."
"But the point must be made, the signature must be from the legitimate authorities, otherwise, you know, the next one will come and throw it all in the bin. But you can't do that either, we're dealing with serious issues. That's why I'm not giving up on this, but a lot of work needs to be done."
ON SPEAKING TO GERMANY'S MERZ:
"If the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times - we do not refuse any contacts. And we are always open to this... At some point, when our European partners decided to inflict a strategic defeat on us on the battlefield, they themselves stopped these contacts. They stopped, let them resume. We are open to them.
"I do doubt if Germany can contribute more than the United States as a mediator in our negotiations with Ukraine. A mediator must be neutral. And when we see German tanks and Leopard (battle tanks) on the battlefield, and now we are looking at the fact that the Federal Republic is considering supplying Taurus (missiles) for attacks on Russian territory using not only the equipment itself, but also using Bundeswehr officers... Here, of course, big questions arise. It is well known that if this happens, it will not affect the course of hostilities, that is excluded. But it will spoil our relationship completely.
"Therefore, today we consider the Federal Republic, just like many other European countries, not a neutral state, but as a party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases, perhaps, as accomplices in these hostilities. Nevertheless, if we are talking about a desire to talk about this topic, to present some ideas on this subject, I repeat once again, we are always ready for this."
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
50 Comments
WoodyLee
"" ON WHETHER HE HAD MADE MISTAKES IN HIS TIME IN POWER:
"Let him who is without sin cast the first the stone. Let's leave it at that.""
Well put.
Wasabi
trump is listening and taking note. It will help him on how to act next.
itsonlyrocknroll
LIVE: Putin takes questions from international journalists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2dAbqeIaVs
The verbal engish translation begins when Putin begines his statement ...
TaiwanIsNotChina
Just like with Trump, loyalty only goes one way with Putin. The American and Iranian people are left holding the bag.
JJE
Putin is spot on yet again.
Western meddling in the borderlands was a precursor to the resulting civil war, which evolved into a full-blown crisis endangering Russia's national security, requiring corrective action and an expanding of Moscow's security umbrella to confront this threat.
TaiwanIsNotChina
You were expected to follow:
The UN Charter
The Budapest Memorandum
The Belovezha Accords
The Russian–Ukrainian_Friendship_Treaty
None of which were unequal treaties imposed on Moscow. There are probably others as well.
TaiwanIsNotChina
No one credible believes there was ever a civil war in Ukraine.
No, a few days later, russia's puppet fled for no gd reason. Still waiting on evidence of those miraculous weapons and money delivered by the West to make the coup possible.
JJE
Important to observe the bottom three were exclusively with constitutionally observed neutral and legal governments between 1991-2014.
Nor does the first one seem to ever apply to your most important ally.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Important to observe that just like how the international community suffered russia's bloody and unconstitutional coups, so should russia suffer Ukraine's bloodless coup. Putin has not had the guts to put forward an alternative government for Ukraine.
Israel has only attacked those that have demonstrably attacked it. Completely different from Ukraine and russia.
JJE
Diplomatic validation, cover and false legitimacy for a coup is just as provocative and lethal as the weapons that made it possible (apart from orchestrating it behind the scenes).
Public decency dictates that Moscow was not obliged to validate the resulting regime in any way, shape or form.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Where there is a parallel between Putin and Netanyahu is in the penchant for attacking civilians.
JJE
Ukraine's foreign orchestrated coup was hardly bloodless. Especially the massacres of constitutional protestors that unfolded over parts of the country too.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Did Nuland provide a jacket or something for someone to wear? There is no other government of Ukraine. Simple as.
Public decency dictates that Moscow not play games without the courage to present the "real" government of Ukraine.
HopeSpringsEternal
Iranian people with common sense do not want a costly nuclear weapons program that threatens their safety and prosperity, along with the that of the entire world.
Trump and Putin can hopefully together, help the Iranian Leadership immediately 'pivot' away from their failed decades long policy of pursuing nuclear weapons, that threatens entire world, unlike irrelevant regional matters
JJE
Plus, the south east has every right to secede from Kyiv.
Coup regimes often think everyone is obligated to abide their diktat, but that is wishful thinking from those anti-constitutional unelected types who overthrow elected governments.
GuruMick
Not a Putin fan, but he can string a few sentences together and didnt start on any "the biggest, the best, " talk unlike the buffon in the USA
Underworld
As if Russia could arm Iran.
Jimizo
To be fair to Trump, he can make a case for America’s greatness.
Putin is on very shaky ground selling his thugocracy.
I suppose he can say it’s the biggest in terms of land size.
Underworld
Kremlin lies.
Of course, there was no coup. Yanukovich fled to Russia on his own accord.
Underworld
HopeSpringsEternal
If Putin was interested in pursuing global peace and stability, he wouldn't be waging an imperialist war of aggression in Ukraine.
lincolnman
Never has the US had such a weak, disrespected, and impotent leader....and that includes Nixon, Taft, and Hoover...
No one is afraid of Trump - Putin snubs him, Netanyahu tells him to get lost, and the Ayatollah says iran will attack the US if it aids Israel...
The G7 leaders openly laugh at him at their meetings...
He can't even keep his own MAGA party in line has Bannon, Carlson, MTG, etc all accuse him of betrayal....
And Xi just sits back and watches - and knows when the time is right to invade Taiwan, the guy in the WH is nothing but a Mexican tortilla...
bass4funk
Naw, Trump talks in the language that people understand, normal, down to earth, and not like an elitist...reminds me of someone who used to talk down to people, angering a lot of Americans back in the day. At least Trump can relate to people; that is something the Democrats haven't figured out.
Underworld
JJE
*It is clear that the current crisis in relations between Russia and Western Europe began in 2014. But the problem is not that Russia annexed Crimea, but that Western countries contributed to the coup in Ukraine. We've heard all the time before: you have to live by the rules. By what rules? Well, what kind of rule is this when three states, France, Germany, and Poland, came to Kyiv and, as guarantors, signed a paper of agreements between the opposition and the authorities led by President (Viktor) Yanukovich. A few days later, the opposition launched a coup. And no one even sneezed, as if nothing had happened.*
More like Putin is lying again.
The West didn't meddle.
Russian national security has never been endangered. Ukrainian territory, on the other hand, has.
That's the Kremlin lie.
GuruMick
In 2017 Israel called for an independant Kurdish state .
It provides funds for Kurdish military activity in Turkey and Syria.
This use of proxy warfare by Israel is another thorn in the side of the ME and another reason why Israel cannot be seen as a trusted player in any agreement.
As for Trump and Iran regime change, there would be a requirement for US troops on the ground in large numbers in Iran, large death rates and in the end the US is doing Netanyahus bidding.
Let the IDF reservist army have a go at the Iranian national guard.
Underworld
JJE
You have so far failed to provide evidence of a coup.
You can't.
Because there wasn't one.
Express sister
"Conservatives love diverse views, and as proof of this, we all agree with each other. Checkmate, libs."
itsonlyrocknroll
President Putin is first and foremost an accused war criminal, under the threat of an international arrest for the atrocities, the deprivation, the appalling crimes against humanity,
Putin continues commit these despicable acts, with the assistance of North Korea/Iran the government of China. all despot dictators
I would start from this point when handing out moral judgements lectures.
John-San
Unconditional surrender. LOL coming from a thing that can't eat with a knife and fork nor tie shoe laces.
Desert Tortoise
Yet the Israelis and Turks cooperate arming and training Azerbaijani forces against Armenia and not incidentally Iran. Iran has threatened to go to war to prevent Azerbaijan from taking the Zangezur Corridor between the bulk of Azerbaijan and their territory in Nakhchivan. The Middle East is filled with such contradictions.
TaiwanIsNotChina
We need to find what regions of russia have a right to secede from Moscow.
Fascist regimes think that no one will notice a million soldiers annexing land under the guise of a fake civil war.
ohara
Eminently sensible statements by Putin.
krustytheclown
Putin is such a windbag. It takes him forever to say nothing.
lincolnman
"Additionally, I would like to invite President Trump to visit Moscow. The strings I have used to make him speak and do as I say are getting weaker, as I've used them quite frequently. I would like him to visit so we may replace these puppet strings with newer, stronger ones".
JJE
Of the well over 80 regions of the Russian Federation, only two have a non-majority Russian population, with that language prevalent in all - opposite of the USSR - so best of luck finding lands willing to secede.
Important to observe the tally of regions is increasing too, with relevant speakers.
TaiwanIsNotChina
That is because it is all deceit.
Primusinter
In order to understand, you need to listen (and hear) and understand every word. But you don't understand the language Putin speaks. Meanwhile the translations of his speech are mediocre, adapted for untrained minds.
How can you judge?
lincolnman
i understand no one wants to be thrown out an 8th story window, but it would be nice if one of the Russian reporters asked;
"Inflation in Russia is surging at 9.9% and interest rates are at a phenomenal 20% - what are you doing about that?
"What really happened to the Moskva?"
"How many holes has Ukraine put in the Kursk bridge?"
"How many bombers did Ukraine wipe out in their drone raid? Do you accept responsibility for that debacle?"
JJE
Read the caption closer - Putin is meeting with the heads of foreign news agencies.
Economy is growing and ruble is best performing currency.
Got hit and foundered.
There is no bridge of significance in Kursk.
Probably single digits. No.
Primusinter
I was interested in one question from your list: what is the Kursk Bridge? Where is this bridge located?
The remaining issues have been repeatedly analyzed and highlighted by Russian political scientists. Read the Russian press.
lincolnman
And how would that prevent them from "accidently" falling out a window?
Raging inflation....Interest rates 20% - terrible for Russian citizens...
I meant Kerch - how many holes?
Number of strategic bombers left? Putin responsible?
Primusinter
By the way, Putin spoke about the peculiarities of the Ukrainian constitutionon on the legality of the Ukrainian power in his speech. Where is isabelle here, the greatest expert on this constitution? Or has she/he/it already changed the username?
KnightsOfCydonia
Nicely choreographed fluff piece from the kremlin. No style and even less substance.
JJE
It's at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, which is quite a well-known building. The defenestration thing is a figment of people's imagination run wild.
Sure, inflation is high and that is mainly because of the huge pay packets and bonuses veterans of the special military operation are bringing back home, combined with a strong economy in general amongst other reasons. There are challenges, I agree. Some prices of everyday goods have snuck up but it's not near as bad as you make out and definitely not an operation-stopper by any shake. Ask Ms Nabiullina for more info.
None. That incredible bridge is operating as normal. Defenses and security have been massively beefed up - also a symbolic target, as Russian combat operations don't rely on it for supply because there is something called a Land Bridge.
Plenty left. Even more serviceable airframes and spares etc combined with a creative aviation manufacturing sector that will come through. Also building new build white swans at this very moment too. And think about it - when it comes to lobbing cruise missiles at Ukraine or wherever, plenty of existing airframes could be modified or even a civilian-style jet airliner for just that purpose. But we are miles from there yet.
Primusinter
I do not know which bridge you are talking about. At least sometimes you could use a dictionary or a reference book. Over the past six months, I have crossed the Crimean Bridge ten times. Always without problems. I didn't see any holes. How many holes would satisfy you?
lincolnman
Also called the Potemkin Village....
ROFL...what a crock... The economy is crumbling under massive inflation and interest rates...
With a lot of holes...
Sure - AN-2s....
The one Ukrainian drone speedboats routinely blow up....
Underworld
JJE
Indeed that is why inflation is high. But you fail to recognize that the non-military economy is failing.
JJE
Not sure how long you've been around but let's just says the 1990s economy (of Russia) and the so-called 'crumbling and failing' one now, comparatively speaking, are the difference between nightmares and daytime bowls of fine caviar. Hard to be more disconnected from reality in fact. Putin will call it all off, don't you worry, all over the price of eggs.
Not sure about the bridge full of 'holes'. Assume one is referencing that drone boat attack weeks back (June 3) that did zero damage. Even the UK national broadcaster reported it was reopened with an hour or two. Whenever there is a threat, traffic is stopped in both directions.
NB
Iran bombed Soroka hospital, the main hospital in the south of Israel. It is a civilian hospital, which of course does not contain any military base. The hospital serves Jweish and Arabic patients. Had you strolled in the hospital's campus before it was hit, you would have seen a mixture of Jewish and Arabic patients, as well as a mixture of Jewish and Arabic doctors, nurses and workers.
Three of the Arabic doctors I know personally are the wonderful Dr. Abed, a senior surgeon, the excellent Dr. Ibrahim, a surgeon, and the kind and professional Dr. Isma'il, a nephrologist. One Arabic nurses I know personally is the charming, modest and kind, Hijab-wearing, Nurse Iman, a nephrological nurse.
The mad arch-criminal Iranian Ayatollah has just tried to murder Dr. Abed, Dr. Ibrahin, Dr. Isma'il, Nurse Iman, their Jewish colleagues and their Jewish and Arabic patients.
wallace
The Israelis claim the bombing of a hospital by Iran is a war crime, but Israel has done the same with hospitals and other civilian targets in Gaza.
JJE
They finally find a hospital they oppose bombing. Well, it wasn't bombed or even targeted.
The adjacent Communications, Control and Intelligence Headquarters (IDF C4I HQ) was, as was IDF Central Intelligence and Operations Building in the Gav-Yam Technology Park, both right across the road, with said hospital taking shock wave damage only.
This is a clear indication of Iran's capability and intent to target strategic military assets, despite the information machine working in overdrive to obscure what is actually going on here.