Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is ready for a “missile duel” with the United States. He added that this would represent how their latest Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could easily defeat any American defence system. Addressing the Syrian Civil War, he said that he has not met Assad in Moscow but plans to. During his annual press-conference, he asserted that he is ready to talk to US President-elect Donald Trump.
In response to Western doubts about the Oreshnik, Putin recommended that each side should choose a specific target to be safeguarded by American missiles.
“We’re ready for such an experiment,” Putin said.
Putin additionally noted that whilst the Oreshnik is a contemporary weapon, it incorporates elements from previous Russian missile designs.
Russia initially deployed the Oreshnik missile against Dnipro, a Ukrainian city, on November 21, which Putin described as retaliation for Ukraine’s inaugural use of American ATACMs ballistic missiles and British Storm Shadows to attack Russian soil with Western authorisation.
Hasn’t yet met Assad, says Russian president
Putin has indicated his intention to inquire about the whereabouts of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria 12 years ago, during discussions with former Syrian President Bashar Assad. The matter of locating Tice remains a key priority for the Biden administration.
Putin confirmed that while he has not yet had a meeting with Assad, who has received asylum in Moscow, he intends to raise the question of Tice’s disappearance when they meet.
“We also can pose the question to people who control the situation on the ground in Syria,” Putin said.
Russia’s economy is overheating, says Putin
He acknowledged that Russia’s economy is experiencing signs of overheating, leading to concerning levels of inflation.
During his annual phone-in session with Russians, Putin expressed support for the central bank’s stringent monetary policies, whilst suggesting that more prompt action might have been beneficial.
The central bank is anticipated to implement a substantial interest rate increase of 200 basis points to 23% at its Friday meeting, reaching its highest level in more than two decades. This strict monetary approach has faced significant opposition from the business sector.
“There are some issues here, namely inflation, a certain overheating of the economy, and the government and the central bank are already tasked with bringing the tempo down,” said Putin.
Prior to the phone-in, Putin revealed his discussion with central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina, who projected inflation rates of 9.2%-9.3% for 2024, exceeding the central bank’s forecast of 8.5%.
Putin indicated that the combination of strict monetary policies and government measures to moderate economic activity would result in reduced growth rates in 2025 compared to this year’s 4%.
“I think the (growth rate) next year should be somewhere around 2-2.5%, a sort of soft landing in order to maintain macroeconomic indicators,” Putin concluded.