00:00Well, I don't know when we meet, because he doesn't say anything about this.
00:05I have not spoken to him for more than four years, but I'm open for it at any time.
00:13I'm open for a meeting, for a summit, if he wants to.
00:21My question is, are you prepared to compromise in any way over Ukraine?
00:27You say that Kyiv should compromise, that the Ukrainians should compromise, but what
00:32are you prepared to offer in potential negotiations, potentially led by President-elect Trump?
00:41Frankly speaking, I haven't seen President Assad yet, after he came to Moscow, but I
00:48plan to do so, and I will have a conversation with him.
00:53We are adults.
00:53We understand.
00:54Twelve years ago, a person went missing in Syria, twelve years ago.
01:02We understand what situation was in place twelve years ago.
01:06Active hostilities were ongoing from both sides.
01:11Does President Assad himself know what happened to that U.S. citizen, to the journalist who
01:17performed his journalist duties in the combat area?
01:23But nonetheless, I do promise that I will ask this question to him.
01:30We can ask the same question to those people who are controlling the situation on the ground
01:35in Syria today.
01:38You asked what we can offer, or I can offer, to the President-elect Trump when we meet.
01:48I do not know when we are going to meet, because he does not speak about that.
01:53I haven't spoken to him for more than four years now.
01:57I am prepared for that conversation at any time.
02:01I will be prepared to hold a meeting as well, if he so desires.
02:07You said that this conversation will take place where I'll be in a weakened state.
02:15Dear colleague, well, I'm saying dear and distinguished colleague, because though despite
02:20all persecutions of our media, Russian media, you are allowed to work here freely.
02:26Isn't that good already?
02:29To you and to the people who pay your salary in the United States, we'd really like for
02:34Russia to be in a weakened state.
02:39I'm of a different opinion.
02:40I think that Russia became much stronger over the past two or three years.
02:47Why?
02:49Because we are becoming a truly sovereign country.
02:55We are largely independent of any country.
02:58We are prepared to stand our own in terms of economy.
03:02As for the economic growth rate, I have already spoken.
03:08We're strengthening our defence capacity.
03:13Our combat readiness of the armed forces today, and I'm speaking very confidently here, is
03:20at the highest, is ranked the highest in the world.
03:25The same applies to our defence industry.
03:29We're increasing the production of everything that's necessary for the army and the fleet,
03:34both for today and for tomorrow.
03:38We're doing that very confidently, actively.
03:44The same cannot be said about our adversaries.
03:47We already spoke about the success of our armed forces.
03:54This happens largely due to the increase in production of defence industry, the output
04:03of defence industry of Russia.
04:06As I have said, we're doing that confidently and in a streamlined fashion.
04:14I spoke about the movement forward of our army at the line of engagement.
04:21How is this achieved?
04:22It is achieved by the presence of equipment that I have already mentioned.
04:26Yes, indeed, almost all of NATO countries are fighting against us.
04:32We spoke about our inflation rate.
04:34But what's happening over there?
04:37One shell of 155 millimetres, it used to cost, a year ago, about 2,000 euro.
04:46Now it costs 8,000 euros.
04:49The price has increased fourfold if the hostilities continue at the same tempo.
04:57Not only 2% of the budget for defence, which was always done at the insistence of the President-elect
05:05Trump, will be enough for NATO countries.
05:10Even 3% won't be enough.
05:14The training, combat readiness, the morale of the Russian army is at such point right
05:26now that is unparalleled by any army in the world.
05:31Therefore, I believe, to a great extent, Russia today is in such a state that we have been
05:43trying to achieve, it has become stronger, it has become a truly sovereign country.
05:51And we'll make decisions without taking anyone's opinion into account, we'll follow only our
05:56national interests.
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