Putin holds Q&A with international news agency heads at SPIEF

Russia is actively working with Egypt to build a nuclear power plant in the Nile Valley, Putin stressed.

“I hope that the first unit will be operational by 2028. The first unit of the nuclear power plant and work are very active,” he said, noting that a “significant number of local specialists” are taking part in the construction.

“It’s a powerful project, and we are actively working in other areas.”

READ MORE: Another post-Soviet country is following Ukraine’s path. Will the ending be different?

Commenting on Armenia’s push toward the EU, Putin said there is “nothing wrong with countries orienting themselves toward Western standards and that each state must choose its own priorities.” He said the level of integration seen in the USSR is no longer possible, but the EAEU is working to deepen ties through tools such as a common energy market, and stressed that Russia is merely asking Armenia to decide with whom it wants to cooperate, noting that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself has spoken of holding a referendum on EU membership.

Moscow is “without doubt” ready to reach a peaceful settlement with Kiev on the basis discussed in Anchorage with US President Donald Trump, according to Putin. It is “important that Ukraine also agrees” to the “compromise discussed” at the Alaska talks, he said, adding that in that case the conflict would “peter out naturally, and very quickly.”

Putin said Russia has not refused dialogue on the Ukraine conflict and is ready to talk if European countries consider it appropriate, adding that Moscow is “not imposing anything.” Any talks, he said, “must involve people who can be trusted.”

Russia has an integrated air and strike capability that it will continue to strengthen, while Ukraine has “no air defense system as such,” Putin said. Kiev also lacks the kind of offensive systems that Russia possesses, despite receiving “numerous drones” from Western sponsors, he added.

Russian armed forces are advancing on the whole line of contact, Putin stressed, adding that “there is no place we are not advancing.” The problem for Ukraine’s armed forces is a critical lack of servicemen: the numbers have dropped by 100,000 people, he claimed.

“Monthly they lose about 40,000 people”, the president said, adding that Ukrainian officers capture people on the streets like animals.

Russia will continue to invest in the Indian economy and has “promising, far‑reaching plans” for cooperation with New Delhi, Putin told Press Trust of India. He praised India as a “specially privileged strategic partner,” noting that bilateral trade could reach $100 billion “in the coming years,” and said India is free to build ties with any country it chooses, adding that US attempts to pressure New Delhi are “useless” and cause no problems for Russia–India relations.

Putin described Chinese President Xi Jinping as his “old friend,” stressing that this is “not just a figure of speech.”

“We keep hearing people say that Russia made a ‘pivot’ toward Asia, but we did not pivot anywhere,” Putin told China’s Xinhua news agency. With China, “we are natural allies and partners. We are neighbors – you don’t choose your neighbors,” he said, stressing that the relationship is not directed against any third country and that a treaty signed 25 years ago laid the foundations for today’s “unprecedented” level of cooperation.

READ MORE: What Putin’s visit to Kazakhstan has revealed about power and influence in Eurasia

Answering the first question, from the head of Kazakhstan’s state TV and radio agency about the significance of his recent visit to the republic, Putin said ties with Astana are “developing successfully, on an upward trajectory,” citing a centuries‑long shared history and strong industrial and transport links. Putin particularly cited cooperation in energy, industry and space, and said the partnership is now expanding into nuclear power, with Russia set to help build a nuclear plant in Kazakhstan.