Putin expresses his regret for the grave mistakes in the killing of the prominent general, and says he will meet with Trump “at any time” about the Ukraine war.

Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made a rare admission of failures by his powerful security services in connection with the Ukrainian-orchestrated killing of a top general in Moscow. It was Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian army’s chemical and biological weapons unit He was killed by a bomb planted on a motorcycle In Moscow on Tuesday, in the boldest assassination led by Kyiv since the beginning of the conflict.

“Our special services miss these strikes. They missed these strikes. This means we need to improve this work. We must not allow such blunders,” Putin said at his year-end press conference, addressing a series of events. Of attacks inside Russia on prominent supporters of the Kremlin amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ukraine has been linked to previous attacks in Russia, including the August 2022 car bombing of nationalist Daria Dugina, and an explosion in a St. Petersburg cafe in April 2023 that killed prominent military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky.

Putin was speaking for the first time about Kirillov’s killing, more than 48 hours after the explosion that occurred in a residential area in the Russian capital. Questions have been raised in Moscow about security protocols for such a high-profile public figure participating in the military attack on Ukraine.

Kiev claimed responsibility for the attack, saying explosives were packed in an electric motorcycle and left at the door of an apartment building.

When Kirillov and his assistant left the building, the building exploded, killing them both.

The Russian Investigative Committee announced on Wednesday that Russia had arrested an Uzbek citizen born in 1995 on suspicion of carrying out the attack.

He allegedly said he was “recruited by Ukrainian special forces.”

On Thursday, Putin described the attack as “terrorist.”

A source in the Ukrainian Security Service described Kirillov as a “legitimate target” and accused him of being behind the mass use of banned chemical weapons on the front line in eastern Ukraine.

Putin says he will meet Trump “at any time” on Ukraine

Putin announced on Thursday that he was ready to hold talks “at any time” with US President-elect Donald Trump, who touted his ability to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine within hours of taking office.

Trump, who will return to the White House in January, has raised concerns in Kiev that he could force Ukraine to accept peace on terms favorable to Moscow.

At his annual press conference at the end of the year, the Kremlin leader said his forces had the upper hand on the battlefield, but was forced to admit that he did not know when Russia would recapture the western Kursk region where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August.

The traditional annual question-and-answer sessions, which often last for hours, are largely a televised show while also being a rare venue where he gets to sit down and answer some uncomfortable questions.

In response to a question about Trump’s initiatives regarding a possible peace agreement, Putin said that he welcomed the upcoming meeting with the Republican.

“I don’t know when I’ll see him. He doesn’t say anything about it. I haven’t spoken to him for more than four years. I’m ready for that, of course. Anytime.” Putin said.

“If we hold a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure we will have a lot to talk about,” he said, adding that Russia is ready for “negotiations and compromises.”

The Kremlin recently welcomed Trump’s sharp criticism of President Biden’s decision to allow Kiev to use US-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory — a major escalation in the nearly three-year-old conflict that the Biden administration said was necessitated by Putin’s deployment of thousands from the north. Korean soldiers to reinforce his ground forces.

Russian forces have been advancing in eastern Ukraine for months, and Putin has repeatedly praised their prowess on the battlefield.

“We are moving towards resolving the basic objectives that we set at the beginning of the special military operation,” Putin said, using the Russian term for the conflict. “Our men are fighting heroically. The capabilities of the armed forces are growing.”

In November, the Russian army advanced at its fastest pace in eastern Ukraine since the first month of its offensive in 2022.

But when a woman from the Kursk region asked when residents would be able to return to their homes there, after thousands were evacuated from front-line areas amid the Ukrainian offensive, Putin said he could not give a date.

He admitted: “We will definitely kick them out. Absolutely. It can’t be any other way. But it’s a matter of a specific date. I’m sorry, I can’t say that now.”

Putin challenges the West to shoot down a new powerful Russian missile

Putin appeared to repeat his threat to strike Kiev with Russia’s powerful new multi-warhead ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik. Russia has described the Oreshnik missile as a hypersonic weapon that is practically impossible to intercept, but a US Defense Department official He told CBS News It is evaluated as a variant of the existing Russian RS-26, an “experimental” intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Asked by a military journalist on Thursday whether the weapon had any flaws, Putin suggested a “high-tech duel” between the West and Russia to test his claims that the weapon is impervious to air defenses.

“Let them set some target to be hit, let’s say in Kiev. They will concentrate all their air defenses there. We will launch an Oreshnik strike there and see what happens,” Putin suggested.

Putin: The overthrow of Assad in Syria does not represent a “defeat” for Russia

In his first public comments since The fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-AssadPutin rejected claims that he was overthrown “Defeat” for Russia.

Putin said in response to a journalist’s question: “You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia.” “I assure you that this is not the case. We have achieved our goals.”

Putin said he had not yet met Assad, who fled to Moscow as opposition fighters approached Damascus, but he intended to do so soon.

Putin has come to Assad’s rescue more than once during Syria’s grueling civil war, and is on the verge of losing a major military foothold in the turbulent Middle East with his longtime ally now decisively out of power.

Putin: The Russian economy is “stable despite external threats”

Putin also came under pressure Thursday about the economic headwinds facing Russia — the fallout from a massive increase in military spending and massive labor shortages caused by the conflict.

He stressed that the situation is “stable despite external threats,” pointing to low unemployment rates and industrial growth.

In response to a question about the rise in inflation, Putin said that “inflation is a worrying signal,” and that the rise in food prices such as butter and meat is “unpleasant.”

He acknowledged that Western sanctions were also a factor – “although not of major importance” – and criticized his country’s central bank, saying it should have taken action beyond raising interest rates to reduce inflation.