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Agence France-Presse

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the West was threatened by an increasingly powerful Russia, as he promised further economic growth during an end-of-year press conference.
The annual event comes after months of increasing discontent at home and tensions abroad, from a stand-off with Ukraine to deteriorating ties with Washington.
Asked about Western sanctions against Russia, Putin said these were “connected with the growth of Russia’s power”.
“A powerful player appears who needs to be reckoned with. Until recently it was thought there was no longer such a country,” he said from behind a large wooden desk to an audience of hundreds of journalists.
The president dismissed spy scandals – such as the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England – as invented to damage Russia’s standing.

“If there hadn’t been the Skripals, they would have thought up something else,” he said.
Domestic concerns also loomed large after the long-time leader’s approval rating fell following a deeply unpopular pension reform this year.
He began the press conference, as usual, by reeling off economic growth figures.
If there hadn’t been the Skripals, they would have thought up something else
Vladimir Putin
“The main thing is that we need to get into a new economic league. We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we’ll do that,” he said.
Russia is currently ranked 12th in the world pecking order by the International Monetary Fund, which lists the United States first, followed by China, Japan, Germany and Britain.
Putin said the economy grew 1.7 per cent over the first 10 months of the year, roughly in line with predictions, while unemployment was down. Full-year growth is estimated at 1.8 per cent.
“After a long break, a small growth in real incomes has nonetheless been recorded,” he added.
But he appeared to damn his prime minister, former president Dmitry Medvedev, with faint praise, saying that he was “generally” happy with the work of his government.
‘Tourist’ blamed for Skripal poisoning in Britain named as military doctor for Russia’s GRU intelligence service
Putin was re-elected to a fourth term in March with nearly 77 per cent of the vote, but recent polls have seen his support drop below 50 per cent.
His previous term in the Kremlin was defined by a decline in living standards for many Russians, despite what were perceived as foreign policy wins.


During the wide-ranging question and answer session, Putin praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria, but condemned his withdrawal from a cold war arms agreement.
He warned of a “collapse of the international arms (control) system” following Washington’s announcement it would drop the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces agreement.
Earlier the president said Moscow would develop new missiles in response to the move.
Nothing matches our new hypersonic weapons and they will safeguard Russia for decades, President Vladimir Putin boasts
Putin also addressed the recent escalation of tensions with Ukraine following a naval confrontation in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and Russia’s arrest of several Ukrainian sailors.
He repeated Kremlin claims that Ukrainian actions in the strait were a “provocation” and aimed at boosting President Petro Poroshenko’s chances in an unpredictable election next year.
The Kremlin demands questions be sent in advance, but reporters every year go to great lengths to encourage the president to call on them.


This year one journalist was dressed as a Russian fairy tale character, the snow maiden, while another came holding a tambourine.
Organisers, however, put a size limit on the placards media representatives traditionally hold up to attract Putin’s attention.
The president began the tradition of such end-of-year press events in 2001, but with time they have evolved into marathon events. Since 2004, all December press conferences have surpassed three hours.
His record was in 2008, when questions and answers went on for four hours and 40 minutes.
The appearance was shown live on several TV stations, with some channels trailing the event with a day-long countdown clock.
As Russia has become increasingly centralised under Putin, questions at the conference have begun to resemble lobbying attempts to resolve specific problems, from fixing roads to freeing political prisoners.


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Vladimir Putin

President Vladimir Putin says the West is trying to ‘hold back’ powerful Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual live broadcast news conference with Russian federal, regional, and foreign media at the World Trade Centre in Moscow, Russia, 20 December 2018. Photo: EPA-EFE

Russian President Vladimir, also seen at a big screens, speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Speaking at news conference Thursday, Putin pointed at the U.S. intention to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. He said that if the U.S. puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Nothing matches our new hypersonic weapons and they will safeguard Russia for decades, President Vladimir Putin boasts

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle being released from booster rockets. Graphic: AP

epa06898096 A handout still image from a video footage made available 19 July 2018 by the Russian Defense Ministry on its official Youtube page shows Russian Avangard hypersonic strategic missile system equipped with a gliding hypersonic maneuvering warhead preparing for blasting off in Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry reports of start of mass production of the hypersonic complex Avangard. EPA-EFE/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

A Russian Air Force MiG-31K jet carries a high-precision hypersonic aero-ballistic missile Kh-47M2 Kinzhal during the Victory Day military parade to celebrate 73 years since the end of WWII and the defeat of Nazi Germany, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Sunday, March 11, 2018, a Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic missile flies during a test in southern Russia. Russian military says it has run a successful test of the Kinzhal missile, that President Vladimir Putin sited among several other new nuclear weapons that would bolster the nation's military capability. ((AP Photo/ Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a news conference following a live nationwide broadcast call-in in Moscow, Russia June 7, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

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Russian leader dismissed recent spy scandals at annual end-of-year press conference



Russian leader dismissed recent spy scandals at annual end-of-year press conference.


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President Vladimir Putin says the West is trying to ‘hold back’ powerful Russia

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Russian leader dismissed recent spy scandals at annual end-of-year press conference

Russian leader dismissed recent spy scandals at annual end-of-year press conference