Putin Claims He Is Open To Talk To Trump As He Boasts About Gains In Ukraine

The Russian president said he plans to ask ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad about Austin Tice, a U.S. journalist who went missing in Damascus in 2012.

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow’s prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday.

He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted over four hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware.

He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia’s military and economic power.

“Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country,” he said. “We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defense potential and our military capability now is the strongest in the world.”

Putin, who has held power for nearly a quarter-century and was reelected to another six-year term in February, said the military was “advancing toward achieving our goals” in what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine.