President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference and phone-in

The event followed Putin’s announcement that he will run for another term in the Presidential election to take place in March next year.

During a 4-hour press conference Putin answered 78 questions. He said the Russian economy has recovered from the 2022 recession and is moving forward. Russia's GDP growth this year is expected to be 3.5%, with nominal income increasing by about 5%, he said, adding that the domestic financial market is currently stable.

Putin said he is willing to restore relations with the US. He noted that Moscow will not destroy relations with the EU and normalizing those relations does not depend on Russia but on the EU.

Putin said Russia’s ties with China are at an all-time high. He called the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip a disaster, adding that UN decisions on resolving that conflict require a consensus of all countries.