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Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an annual year-end press conference on Thursday that he hoped US President-elect Joe Biden would help solve some of the difficult problems in relations between Moscow and Washington, improving the ties between Russia and the United States.
“We believe that the president-elect of the United States will fix things because he has experience in both domestic and foreign policy,” said the Russian leader.
The annual press conference, the 16th of its kind, was held practically this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Putin answered questions live from his Novo Ogaryovo residence.
Putin was one of the last leaders of the world’s major countries to congratulate Biden on winning the November US presidential election and said earlier this week that he was ready for “collaboration.”
He also added that Russian hackers had not meddled in the 2016 US presidential vote to help get US President Donald Trump elected.
‘Pragmatic and friendly relationship with Xi’
Commenting on ties with leaders of other countries, Putin said that he has maintained a very friendly, pragmatic and trusting relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He said that China and Russia have been in close cooperation in various areas, emphasizing that the pragmatic and cooperative relationship with the Chinese leader will greatly benefit the development of ties between the two countries.
Receive a Russian-made vaccine at some point
Putin said he had not yet been inoculated with a Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, but would do so when possible, adding that Russia’s vaccine was safe and effective.
Putin, 68, said he is above the recommended age for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Our health professionals say that vaccines … are intended for people of certain ages … people like me are not yet allowed to get vaccinated,” Putin said at the press conference. “I am a law abiding citizen and I always listen to what our health professionals say, so I have not been vaccinated yet, but surely I will as soon as it is allowed.”
Russia earlier this month launched a large-scale public vaccination campaign, initially offering the vaccine to people in high-risk groups.
Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Putin touted Russia’s healthcare system, saying that it has dealt with the pandemic more efficiently than other countries, and that Russia is among the top three countries in the world in terms of virus testing. .
However, to make a decision on another presidential race
The current Russian president said he had not yet decided whether he would run for president again when his current term in the Kremlin ends in 2024, and that it was too early to talk about it.
“I have not decided for myself whether or not I will run in the 2024 elections,” he told reporters at his annual televised press conference.
Putin presided over sweeping constitutional reforms this year that, among other things, allow him to run for two terms plus six years as president, which could extend his term until 2036.
The Russian leader, in power as president or prime minister since the beginning of the century, was due to resign at the end of his second consecutive presidential term, the fourth in total, in 2024.
