From warning on nuclear war to &#x27psychotropic medicine&#x27: Below are 5 factors Putin informed the Russian media

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered a large-ranging job interview to the Russian press a few days ahead of the presidential election, which will see Putin elected to yet another 6 yrs in electricity — short of a miraculous transform in the rapid program of Russian politics.

In an job interview with pro-Kremlin media published Tuesday, Putin laid out his vision for relations with the West, war and peace. Below are 5 feedback he made forward of the March 15-17 vote.

Putin was again eager to issue out that Russia is prepared for a nuclear war on a technical and military degree.

“From a armed forces-specialized issue of perspective, we are, of system, all set … [and] regularly in a condition of beat readiness,” Putin said in the job interview with news channel Rossiya-1 and information agency RIA Novosti published Tuesday.

Putin cautioned that the possibility of a nuclear war was not a around-term prospect, with great heads likely to prevail to avert a “speeding” towards these types of a state of affairs. However, Putin stated Russia would be all set to conduct nuclear checks — if the U.S. did so.

Rossiya-1 journalist Dmitry Kiselev asked Putin what “rate” Russia was prepared to pay out for the “problem” it is facing all through its “particular military services operation” in Ukraine. It is really believed that the war has price tag Russia at minimum 315,000 useless and wounded troops during two several years of war in Ukraine. It does not publish these figures by itself.

In the interview Tuesday, excerpts of which ended up posted thoroughly by Ria Novosti, Putin created a veiled acknowledgment of the human sacrifices produced in the war, but stated that Russia experienced to safeguard its “citizens” in Ukraine, exclusively in the 4 regions that Russia claimed it had annexed in September 2022.

“Seem, every human lifestyle is priceless, each individual a person. And the loss of a loved just one for a household, for any family members, is a enormous grief … [but] if we abandon these people today, then tomorrow our losses may well increase quite a few occasions about, and our youngsters will have no potential, due to the fact we will come to feel insecure, we will be a third- or fourth-charge country, no one will get us into account, if we can not defend ourselves. And the consequences could be catastrophic for Russian statehood.”

Russia reiterated its stance that it is ready for peace talks with Ukraine but that these experienced to be based on actuality — that is, Russia’s perception that annexed locations in Ukraine are now element of the Russian Federation — and that it wishes protection assures that NATO will not extend to contain Ukraine.

“Are we all set for negotiations? Yes, we are completely ready,” Putin advised Rossiya-1’s Kiselev, before qualifying the remark: “However [we are] only prepared for negotiations which are not dependent on some ‘wishes and dreams’ after using psychotropic prescription drugs, but based on the realities that have emerged, as they say in these types of cases, on the ground,” he claimed.

Russia and Ukraine are much from peace negotiations even though the war remains in a “incredibly hot,” lively phase, defense analysts say, although Russia seems eager to present a willingness to communicate, significantly as Ukraine struggles on the battlefield amid personnel and ammunition shortages.

“Now to negotiate just for the reason that they are operating out of ammunition is someway preposterous on our element,” Putin mentioned. “We are, however, ready for a critical conversation, and we want to solve all conflicts, in particular this conflict, by means of tranquil signifies.”

Putin mentioned that for Russia to enter significant peace talks, Russia will have to be offered “security assures” — presumably on NATO not growing to involve Ukraine. Russia states it was presented assurances that NATO would not increase eastward into jap Europe — one particular of its longstanding bugbears. NATO vehemently denies that this sort of an agreement was ever designed.

Putin raised the matter once more in the interview Tuesday, telling the interviewer that “we’ve by now been promised all the things several periods. We have been promised not to broaden NATO to the East, and then we see them at our borders,” he stated.

“I you should not want to say this, but I don’t have faith in any one. We need assures. Assures have to be spelled out, they will have to be kinds that go well with us and that we will consider in … Now it is almost certainly premature to speak publicly about what this could be but we certainly will not likely invest in into any vacant claims.”

Early on in the war, it was felt that there was wiggle place more than the thorny issue of NATO membership, with an strategy to grant Ukraine safety ensures instead than a future area in the Western army alliance. But positions have hardened because individuals early, unsuccessful peace talks, with NATO expressing Ukraine could be part of the bloc in potential.

During the war, and in truth just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a great deal speak of “purple traces” by both sides. Despite the fact that the boundaries of these ideological boundaries have shifted (for case in point, Ukraine’s allies initially said they would not give Kyiv tanks or extended-selection missiles, but some do now) there have been some “crimson lines” that have appeared to be a phase also considerably for both sides.

The latest difficulty is the possibility of NATO countries sending floor troops into Ukraine, a likelihood mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who mentioned there had been “no boundaries” to Paris’ assistance for Ukraine, refusing to rule out the sending of ground troops to the region.

Moscow reacted furiously to the opinions, declaring it would lead to an “unavoidable” immediate conflict concerning NATO and Russia. Other NATO users had been brief to distance on their own from the remarks, much too, declaring the sending of floor troops was not a likelihood.

Putin reported in his most current interview that nations that say they have no purple lines regarding Russia “have to recognize that in Russia there will be no red lines in relation to these states both.”

“Generally, primarily based on outcomes we see now of what is taking place on the battlefield, we are coping with the tasks that we established for ourselves. As for the states who say that they have no ‘red lines’ pertaining to Russia, then they need to recognize that in Russia there will be no ‘red lines’ regarding these states either.”