FULL Q&A: President Putin Stuns Global Media on Ukraine, Trump, Germany Gas and Peace Talks | AC15

The results that we have achieved in our cooperation. Here's what I would like to point out. In the recent years, especially after the beginning of the events that we're currently witnessing in Ukraine, we keep hearing people say that Russia made a pivot towards Asia. That Russia changed its policy. No, Russia did not change anything. We did not pivot anywhere. The agreement which laid down the foundations of our cooperation with China, the basic agreement that helped us achieve today's results, the results which are quite impressive, I must say. According to different statistics, we have about 250 billion US dollars of trade volume, and we see great diversification. But, let me repeat, it all started back in 2001 when we signed the basic agreement. It was back in 2001. We are natural allies and partners. We are neighbors. We share a vast common border. You don't choose your neighbors. This is a thing of history. Throughout centuries and during our interactions, we have elaborated a certain system of principles that we stick to in our relations. It didn't occur today, yesterday, or 5 years ago. We have been working on them throughout centuries. China is rapidly developing. China is getting an increasingly large share in global economy, politics, and international affairs in general. Of course, we have been closely monitoring this progress, and we have been working together, cooperating. 25 years ago, we signed a foundational agreement that laid a good basis and established good fundamental conditions for developing bilateral cooperation across all areas. And now here are the results. In the recent years, we have seen greater economic growth and diversification of the economies of Russia and China. We see new opportunities opening for us in various areas. I'm not going to enumerate all of them, but I will say that most importantly, in the recent years, we have been paying more and more attention to the matters related to the new economy based on artificial intelligence, digital technology, the biological and genetic achievements, and so on. We have always been cooperating. This isn't a thing of the past 5 years. We've always had cooperation in the military sphere. And we shall continue this cooperation as before. Nothing new has happened here. These are traditions of our relations. Military and military-technical cooperation are important domains for us. We make new advancements in this area. This isn't something related to the current events that the world is watching, including the events in Ukraine or in the Middle East. This is something that we have been working on. This is a result of our friendship with China. This is not a friendship against someone. This is a friendship that helps us mutually. And I would like to point out the achievements in the area of AI and high-tech. I think this is where the future of our cooperation lies. We always say this when we meet with President Xi and he calls me his old friend and I also call him that. This is no exaggeration or figure of speech. We enjoy great trust and confidence. First of all, we are guided by our national interest, the interest of our countries, which coincide in many cases. This serves as a good foundation to make new achievements. This is why I believe that we have laid down good foundations. We have good preconditions for improving relations with China and I'm sure that all the goals that we set forward during my visit will be achieved fully. Me and President Xi have had an important schedule that we have had many bilateral meetings. Our governments also maintain contacts. Our ministries and agencies maintain regular contacts as well as our leading businesses. The companies, including those in the energy sphere. In this particular area, I think very soon we will have some pleasant news to announce for the global energy sphere. I'm talking about new agreements between Russia and China. Colleagues, who is going to be next? Nijay Joshi. Director General and Editor-in-Chief of the Press Trust of India.

You gave the description yourself, and it is true. We enjoy a special privileged strategic partnership. That is how I characterize this relationship. It did not occur yesterday or 105 years ago. This is something we've been working upon for decades. Back in 1947, when the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with the Indian Republic, we have been doing everything to support the establishment of a new state, a new independent state. And I'm glad to say that thanks to the hard work and the talent of the Indian people, India has made great and important achievements in its development. We all know very well, all those gathered here must know that India is one of the leading economies of the world that shows the highest rates of economic growth. And this is not something that comes out of the blue. This is a result of hard work that the government has been doing under leadership of the Prime Minister Modi. Because these rates of development have been demonstrated by India while plans and strategies are implemented formulated by Modi as the head of the government of the Republic of India. We are engaged in a lot of joint efforts and we hope that in upcoming years we will reach 100 billion US dollars in mutual trade. Now it's about 58 billion US dollars or 60 billion US dollars, but we have all the foundations to work more actively and to reach more ambitious goals. And we're not only talking about our plans in energy including nuclear energy. Kudankulam NPP is now being constructed. New platforms will emerge in terms of hydrocarbons. We will be continuing working together. We have one of the largest investment projects into the Indian economy in your country and we will be doing mutual investments. Everyone knows that India is very active in pharmaceutical industry and our economic operators are ready to propose a lot of interesting projects. I'm not going to enumerate all of the initiatives, but we have already outlined long perspective plans that are of interest for both India and Russia. Your question seemed a bit strange to me. You said that the cooperation between India and the US creates difficulties in the relations between Russia and India. I don't think that this is the case. Let's distinguish. Why would you think that? We're glad that India is developing its relations with all the countries. It's a great country, 1 and 1/2 billion people, a large economy, the largest democracy, as many people say. Of course, it is only natural that it develops its economy in accordance with its interest, with those countries that it deems necessary. Another thing is that the US are trying to put pressure on India in some matters. For example, when it comes to cooperation with Russia on some tracks, but everyone has understood that putting pressure on Narendra Modi, who has the largest population in the world, is detrimental for international relations and for bilateral relations. It doesn't matter where this pressure comes from. We don't see any negative consequences. I think that we can come to an agreement with all the participants of this process. And as of today, there are no serious repercussions emanating from this state of affairs. We're developing our ties with India and will continue doing that, and we deem India to be a very reliable partner. James Jordan, representative of the US, the Associated Press agency, please. Please be as genuine as you can.

Thank you very much. One thing does not exclude another. We can control the whole Donbas region and we can strike a deal. One thing does not contradict another. Why would you think that it does? You have referred to a statement of Marco Rubio. He's a very serious partner and we stay in contact with him. Recently, I think he gave a speech in the Senate or in the Congress. As far as domestic policy issues go, it is a complicated situation. Someone supports him, someone attacks him. Secretary of State talks about his domestic matters and it is of interest to us, but we are more interested in a real situation. You're talking about the conflict in Ukraine. So, we are interested in the real state of affairs on this track. What does it look like? It looks as follows. First and foremost, one should pay attention to it. The Russian armed forces are advancing along the whole line of contact. There is no place where we would not be advancing. The most important problem or issue of the Ukrainian armed forces is a critical lack of personnel, of servicemen. Recently, the numbers have dropped by 100,000 people. Monthly, they lose about 40,000 people. As a result of this process of busification, they capture people on the streets and put them in the buses like stray dogs. Monthly, they lose about 40,000 people on the battlefields. The compulsory mobilization gives them about 15 to 16,000 people. About 14,000 people come back from hospitals following their injuries. As a result, each month, they lose about 10,000 people. Plus, about 20,000 people are deserters. In this year, so far, the number of deserters has amounted to about 60,000 people. Well, they drafted them in a compulsory manner. So, no one wants to fight. In Ukraine, the official figure is 2,200,000 cases have been initiated on the fact of being a deserter. That's one of the issues, but that's the most critical issue in place. It leads to the loss of territory and settlements. Recently, and I'm not going to give you the exact number of settlements because I'm afraid I can make a mistake. But, about 2,440 square meters of territory was captured by the Russian armed forces. We advance on a daily basis. You talked about the Donbas region. The Russian Federation has full control of the Luhansk People's Republic. And it has also acquired control of about 85% of the Donetsk People's Republic. Until recently, Ukraine used to control 25% of the territory. Now, it controls less than 15%. 80% of the Zaporizhzhia region are under our control. And this process is progressing every day. Of course, Western sponsors are supplying great numbers of drones of different models, long-range drones to Ukraine. Some are able to penetrate our air defense systems. But Russia has an effective and efficient air defense system. Of course, we have to update it, to modernize it, to strengthen it. But Ukraine does not have the system at all. They have separate components of the system, but they don't have the system as a whole. They have Patriot systems, other systems, but there's a great lack of them, but they don't have a unified system in place. They don't have any strike capabilities the likes of which Russia has. I'm talking about hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, land-based, sea-based, air-based systems. I'm talking about all of them. And there's another thing that is maybe the most important thing that I'd like to talk about. The Russian people is full of patriotism and is willing to do everything for the victory. That's the main prerequisite for achieving all the goals and tasks of the special military operation. The list of questions that I deem important should include one other condition. Namely, the presence of one's own scientific, military, and personnel base for solving all the issues to supply everything that is necessary for the Russian Federation. And this base has been strengthened month in month out. And of course, it is at the foundation of all those accomplishments that I have just referred to. Therefore, I'd like to sum up what I've been talking about for the last couple of minutes. I'd like to add that there is no doubt that we are ready, that we want to come to an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means. Using the foundation that we discussed with President Trump in Anchorage. Back then, we received questions whether we could agree on a compromise. And we discussed it in Anchorage. And Russia agrees to the compromise that we talked about in Anchorage. Important is that the Ukrainian side agrees to them as well. Then, the conflict would peter out naturally and very fast. Thank you very much. Have you received all the answers to your question? You could also ask more questions if there is enough time for it. Mr. President, these retaliation strikes that we are launching with regards to or as an answer to attacks on the Russian infrastructure on Ukrainian infrastructure, these strikes are systematic in their nature, but one last attack, one retaliation attack that Russia launched, I'd like to clarify something. Have we used the Oreshnik system? And what advantage does it give to us when we use such systems? As far as our new systems go, they emerge, we see them emerge. It is true for the Oreshnik system, but I think it's a bit different from what we used to do previously, before the conflict erupted in Ukraine. What I mean by that is that we used to test these systems on test sites, but we have not tested Oreshnik, because we didn't have any. We haven't used Oreshnik on the battlefield when you're being genuine. And I'm going to reveal a military state secret to you today. Because we launched a strike, and we wanted to see the results because it was convenient. We're talking about the Bila Tserkva settlement, and the Donetsk People's Republic, where the main fortified region is. Our drone strike that hit a building, and we wanted to see what it was built on. We made exact calculations because it was important for us to be able to make decisions in the future to apply the Oreshnik systems when we want to strike certain targets in the city boundaries. What's our next question? Martin Romanchyk from DPA, Germany. I wanted to ask a question. Mr. Romanchuk, you represent one of the largest media agencies in Germany. Being a journalist, do you see that your country is doing the preparations for a war? Is it true what we are seeing? Or is it just we that are seeing that? Or are you really trying to start a war? You don't have to answer because it's not an interrogation. You're just an investigator. Well, we'll talk later following this meeting. Please.

You said something that I'd like to draw your attention to. First, you said that Europe would like to take part in these negotiations. Is that right? Second, who, apart from Mr. Schroeder, could possibly act as a mediator? One thing is to participate in the negotiations and another thing is to be a mediator. How can the European Union or separate countries of the European Union be a mediator if they directly abet the efforts of the country with which we have an open armed conflict? They are engaged in this conflict directly. How can they act as intermediaries? Because if you want to be a mediator, you have to be neutral. Moreover, it is with surprise that I saw the reaction to what I had said about Mr. Schroeder being a possible mediator. Discussion started. Mr. Schroeder is a friend of Mr. Putin. No, Mr. Schroeder is not a friend of Mr. Putin. He's a German statesman, one of the best to my mind because he has his own opinion and he's brave enough to advocate his stances and positions. We don't see many politicians today that have similar qualities and similar character. Today, what we see in Europe is that the situation is quite complicated in terms of energy. But, it is Mr. Schroeder who is building the infrastructure, for example, Nord Stream pipeline. Why? To provide the German economy with cheap reliable supplies from Russia. It's more than that. He did not just ensure the supplies. He could provide that economic operators, the economic entities, bear mutual responsibility. We have good relations. That's true. But more important is that he pursues the national goals of his own country. But moreover, you can trust him. That's the main issue, the main essence. Some people want to act as mediators. And both parties to the conflict should trust these intermediaries. But I do not understand how can you trust or how can Russia trust the people that have been repeatedly saying about inflicting a strategic defeat upon Russia. That's the issue. That's the issue, Martin. That is the problem. Nevertheless, we never reject any opportunity. We had never said no to contacts with the representatives of the European Union in certain formats, whether it is with intermediaries on Ukraine or not. I have said that we have our problems with that. It is hard to disagree with that. And yet, we maintain contacts. We do not reject them. You may just pick up the phone and call us if you want to come. You may come. But, it is up to them. They are not willing. I was surprised to hear that Russia, this evil Russia, stopped supplying energy resources to Europe. We never stopped. Europe just said no. They refused to buy, hoping that we would collapse. But, they have seen for themselves that we did not collapse. So, they understood that it was enough. So, they changed something a bit. We have always been open. There have been so many public statements that it is now hard for Europe to change its tones, even though they see that it's detrimental. I'm not going to make comments on that, but I want to repeat we never said no. If someone believes it necessary to revive dialogue with Russia, we're ready for that. You're welcome to do so. But, who is going to be the negotiator from Europe? I don't know. We're not trying to impose our opinions. I simply heard the discussions saying that Russia is trying to impose something through the negotiator. We're not doing that. Naturally, we want to understand who this could be. And I repeat that these must be people that we can trust, that everyone can trust. These are just working details that can be discussed and ironed out further at the level of foreign ministries, for example, or at the level of our intelligence agencies. Our intelligence contacts continue, by the way. You mentioned Nord Stream, Mr. President. Currently, at the economic forum, we have members of the AfD party, Alternative for Germany. They speak out in favor of Russia renewing energy supplies through Nord Stream pipeline. What do you think about this political party? And at their result at the local and federal level during the elections, what are your expectations of the party Alternative for Germany? What is your attitude to that? Thank you. On my part, it would not be very appropriate to give my personal opinions for political powers in the Federal Republic of Germany. We're aware, and I am aware, of the fact. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is how I've been informed. I know that AfD is currently ranking first in the rating of political parties of Germany. It overtook the Christian Democrats. And they have made great leaps, and they are far ahead of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. I'm not going to make any comments. I will only say one thing. In my view, this is all due to the fact that the leadership of this political party is capable of stating their clear positions in the interest of the German people and German economy. They are not afraid to speak about that openly, and they are ready to fight for it. This is reflected in their political ratings and results. What is going to happen next, and how things are going to progress on the political arena of Germany, I don't know, and I don't want to make any forecasts or predictions. Speaking of the views, we welcome all political powers of the Federal Republic of Germany, all those willing to restore and develop relations with Russia. Whether it is the AfD party or any other political force, we are open to working with everyone willing to work with us. Here's someone wishing to work with us, Belarus. The Belarus Information Agency BelTA, Mr. Andrei Mukhortov.

I see. There is nothing unnatural here. The political forces backing the current Prime Minister of Armenia have been openly saying this for a long time. There is nothing inherently bad about it. They're using certain Western standards and views, the European standards. I believe that any sovereign nation has the right to choose their own priorities the way they see fit for the development of their own country and to reinforce their independence, sovereignty, and economy first of all. It is up to them to choose the relevant standards and partners. Here's what was the cause for our concern. It is the fact that Armenia adopted a law, a law to begin. By the way, Mr. Lukashenka pointed that out. I even forgot about it. But this is the name of the law, the law on the beginning of the process of joining the European Union. That's okay, nothing special. However, Armenia, as I said and as discussed in Kazakhstan when I met my counterparts, Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. We have our different standards, different technical rules and regulations, different agricultural standards, different transportation and logistics rules. There is a vast number of differences between us. I wish that in the future we could iron out all the differences in the standards and the technicalities and the logistics and so on. There is a great number of technicalities which are very important for economic development. I wish that someday the standards of the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union could coincide. That would create a vast economic space as said by President de Gaulle, from Lisbon to the Urals and further to Vladivostok. But, it is currently not possible. It's technologically impossible at this point. We have incompatibilities between the free trade areas of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. So, this is what concerned us. Armenia adopted a law, not just idle talk, but a law. So, we asked our Armenian colleagues to make their choice. What direction are they going to take? This would define the future of the markets and the ways that regulations would work within the Eurasian Economic Union. Just like in the EU, we have disputes and discussions on each matter. Sometimes we even go as far as having very heated discussions. Sometimes every comma, every point matters. In practical terms, we're interested in the future of our interactions. This isn't just about energy resources, although it's an important component, one of the few components we have left. As we coordinate our common policy, it is the common energy market. Even our colleagues in Germany are concerned about Nord Stream, naturally. This is a very important area. And in the post-Soviet space, within the Eurasian Economic Union, this is also very important. This is the only thing we asked to make a choice. Even Prime Minister Pashinyan himself, back in the day, or I'd say very recently, he said that he believed it necessary to organize a referendum on this issue. We only have one thing to ask. Do that as soon as possible. That's it. We don't have any claims against them. We maintain good relations with Armenia and we will maintain them whatever the decision they take. That's it. Speaking of other countries, irrespective of the technical difficulties, we always find an agreement with the countries on the post-Soviet space. For Armenia specifically, it was Russia who insisted at the request of Armenia that they become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. Keeping in mind that in a number of parameters, the Armenian economy did not really fit the common context of our space. But now they decided that they should think about the different direction. We don't mind that. They're free to do so. We only ask them to make their choice as soon as possible so that we can see the future more clearly. This is not a political issue in my view. There are certain economic and technical issues. That's right and I hope we will deal with them. Speaking of Nord Stream and energy, by the way, as you know, Nord Streams have been destroyed, exploded. But there is one line of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is still intact. We could launch the supply of gas tomorrow. We could provide natural gas to Germany from Russia at first notice. It's a matter of just pushing the button and the gas will go. But it will require a decision by the government of Germany. We have an existing contract between Gazprom and their partner in Germany. Contacts are still there. They maintain contacts. Gazprom never rejected that. Gazprom could start shipments tomorrow if needed. And the partners of Gazprom are also willing. They want that. So, the only obstacle is a decision by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a matter of politics, a matter of sovereignty. They didn't just set off an explosion. This was an act of state terrorism. I think you will agree with that. There is still one line of the pipeline. It is intact, but it is still under American sanctions, the US sanctions. If the government of Germany could find an agreement with their partners and lift the sanctions, then we can just push a button and natural gas will flow whenever we do that, even tomorrow. It's a matter of sovereignty and a matter of finding an agreement. If you say no, if it is a no, but you can say to the partners in Washington that you need that since you're going through trying times and great challenges given the high prices which undermine the competitiveness of German economy. They're harming the entire European Union because Germany is the power train of the entire European economy. You may say that you need the system or perhaps you can find a solution and find a peaceful resolution by explaining the seriousness of the situation. That's all it takes. It's about 25 to 28 billion cubic meters of natural gas that can be supplied at first notice, even tomorrow. We are on the ready. But Gazprom should receive an answer from the German partners whether they're going to accept this natural gas or not. Because otherwise, we will redirect it to other markets, to other partners. We can sell to them. But, there is an existing contract. And it is not Gazprom who is not complying with the contract. Gazprom is at the ready. It is the German partners that is not taking the Russian gas because they have their orders from Brussels and from Berlin not to accept Russian natural gas. A ban. That's it. Let's continue. Next, please. MENA agency, Egypt. The Middle Eastern Information Agency. Shukra Tarif.

President Al-Sisi is our good friend. I have good personal relations with him. And it helps us develop bilateral links. We have stable volume of trade. And we have good prospects for the future. We have major joint projects. For many years, we've been talking about establishing the Russian Technological Park in Egypt, in the Nile Valley. And we're currently actively working to implement the project of the construction of nuclear power plant in Egypt. And I hope that it's currently 2026, and by 2028, the first energy block of the NPP will be launched. We're working very actively on this track. We attract a great number of local professionals and specialists in construction. This is a major project. We actively work in other areas as well. We have trusting relations in the area of political cooperation and international cooperation. We highly appreciate the efforts of President Al-Sisi to settle all the situations in the Middle East. Currently against the backdrop of the events taking place around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, we forgot about the tragedy of Palestine, but it is still there. It is still there. And the President of Egypt has always made a great contribution trying to find a just settlement for the problems related to Palestine. And naturally I would like to emphasize the Russian Federation believes that the fundamental solution to this issue is the establishment of a full-fledged Palestinian state. I know that the President of Egypt is actively involved in the agenda related to the settlement of the crisis in Iran. He maintains regular contacts with all the stakeholders in the process and we also maintain contacts with him. We all consult them and we hear each other. We listen to each other. And we take our positions into consideration. I would like to thank President Al-Sisi for the attention that he's paying to the development of the Russian Egyptian relations. This is very important. Egypt is one of our priority partners in the region. It was Spain who was speaking of Middle Eastern conflicts. We have a Samuel Samson Agote of the FA information agency, please.

I believe that yes, it is true. The European Union could try and help us find a solution. I believe that the solution shall lie within the framework of the agreements reached in Anchorage. The Ukrainian side is very well aware of that. There is one more point. Back then and before Anchorage, Russia was asked whether we were ready to accept a number of compromises. And I remember when I came with a visit to Anchorage, I told President Trump that I we were ready and I gave him the details about the agreements and the compromises that we could reach. They just should be accepted by the Ukrainian side. That's what is important. But you have to take into account the domestic policy situation. I don't think that Kiev is ready for it. If we achieve peace there, the fight for power in this country, the economic situation against this backdrop. All this will change radically. And I think that the authorities are not interested really in the cessation of hostilities because then people in power would hardly receive any prospects of staying in power. You have to also address economic issues. European experts know that we're talking about hundreds of billions of euros that Ukraine requires to recuperate economically. We know about the proposals of the German Chancellor that Ukraine should become an associated member of the EU. It does not concern us. We would mind if the EU turns into a military block. That is what causes concern. But when we're talking about economic integration, associations, we don't mind. But European experts know what the cost of such an association would be. And European agriculture experts know that. If Ukrainian agricultural produce goes to European markets, they know what the result would be. I can delve into this topic, but going back to your question, I can say the following. Of course, the European Union can play a role, but not by supplying weapons to Ukraine, but by trying to make Ukraine reach a compromise that we talked about in Anchorage. Azerbaijan, Vugar Aliyev, director general of Azertac.

I think that our ties, our relations, are good. They're friendly. And they have been friendly always. I'm talking about the economy, about politics. A couple of years ago, we signed a strategic cooperation treaty and we are developing our relations. President Aliyev makes great efforts to fill this treaty with substance and we see that in certain areas for our cooperation. I think that we have aggregated investment to the tune of 10 billion dollars. And we have a lot of enterprises with Russian capital working in this country. We closely cooperate in the humanitarian domain and there is a large number of Azerbaijani nationals working in our country and they make remittances to their country and we are trying to organize it in a civilized manner. There are a lot of issues, matters that are of mutual interest in logistics. We know about the North-South international transport corridor. Of course, it has now slowed down because of the events in Iran, but it is of mutual interest to both countries and we're very thankful to President Aliyev for providing assistance in sending humanitarian aid to Iran. The Azerbaijani side has demonstrated its efficiency in this regard and responded to our requests. It is very important.

It was very important to mitigate the situation. Our trade turnover is on the rise. New avenues are emerging to supply goods and commodities. There are some areas that I think we cannot talk about yet, I'm talking about the energy sector first and foremost. I'm going to meet President Aliyev and we will talk about it in detail. I think that the two countries are establishing their relations in a positive manner.

Thank you very much. Colleagues, who's next?

As for our initiatives that we can put forth during the summit, we're going to be guided by the initiatives of Kyrgyzstan, the host country of the summit. We know that the president of Kyrgyzstan and all our colleagues are hard at work thinking about it. Our competent government bodies are in close contact. Our foreign ministries, our economic agencies are closely cooperating and coordinating these processes, and I am confident that necessary compromises will be reached. Generally speaking, we hope that it's not going to be about words only, but there will be progress. The association was first established as a tool for addressing border area issues between the People's Republic of China and the former Soviet republics bordering China, but I think it's now made up of 27 countries. It's a very serious association. We are engaged in serious efforts aimed at economic integration. Maybe not everyone has noticed it, but it is an important factor in regional affairs. 27 countries, just think about it. It's a very serious matter. It is important that Central Asia, with all its resources, vast territories, and growing population, increasingly attracts the attention of the international community. Because first and foremost, it has vast economic potential, and everything that is now being done within the organization will of course be of interest to both Russia and our partners. And we wish every success to our Kyrgyz friends, and we will do everything in our power to make our contribution to ensure this summit takes place successfully.

France and Great Britain, let's start with France. France Press main managing editor Pierre Assay. Please, you have the floor.

Whether Mr. Zelensky is a legitimate representative of Ukraine, I would say that lawyers should deal with this issue to answer this question. They should analyze this in detail. Of course, if we reach this stage of signing documents, it's not our whim. You understand, any country in our position should sign documents of this kind. These are historic documents we're talking about. So, we should sign these documents with legitimate representatives. In accordance with the basic law, with the constitution of the party, we're talking about Ukraine in our case. Of course, this is an issue that will be painstakingly studied by future analysts. And I've talked about it at length already, repeatedly. Two years exactly, to the day, 2020 to 2024. The mandate of Mr. Zelensky expired. His presidential mandate expired. At the end of last year, at the beginning of this year, people started talking about the elections in Ukraine. We don't hear any news about it now. Will they hold elections or not? We should ask these questions because this is important. No one is talking about it. If they decide to organize these elections, when is it going to happen? And the result is also very important according to the Ukrainian constitution. The president can only be elected two times, five years each term. If you take the position that President Zelensky prolonged his mandate in a legitimate way, well, two years have elapsed anyway. What is he going to do now? Is he going to be elected for five more years? No, it's not in accordance with the constitution. You can only be elected for two terms in a row, for ten years in total. What about the two years that he has been in power? What about these last two years? There are a lot of questions in this regard. But if it so happens that we sit at the table and are ready to sign the relevant documents, if there's a wish to use peaceful means to put an end to this conflict, and Russia wants to do that, so if that happens, we'll find the people who would sign the relevant documents. It's important that they are willing to do that. It is very important, but it's a question for the lawyers. As far as what I can say to Mr. Zelensky, if we are nearing the end of the conflict, well, thank God, that's what one would say, that it's going to be over soon. But of course, lawyers should research it carefully and meticulously. And I think everyone understands that. So, I'd like to reiterate it once again. We can sign these documents only with the people who undoubtedly are legitimate for signing such documents. There are a lot of options. The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, maybe Zelensky himself, but one should of course look at what kind of documents these are and what legal consequences they're going to have. Well, the main thing is the desire to do that, but we'll find a way to send the documents if time comes.