Current:Home > FinancePutin is taking questions from ordinary Russians along with journalists as his reelection bid begins-LoTradeCoin
Putin is taking questions from ordinary Russians along with journalists as his reelection bid begins
View Date:2024-12-23 21:06:32
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his end-of-year news conference Thursday — and this year, ordinary citizens are getting the chance to phone in their questions along with journalists, who queued in freezing temperatures hours ahead of Putin’s expected arrival.
Putin, who has held power for nearly 24 years, said last week that he is running for reelection in March. Last year, he did not hold his usual call-in show with ordinary Russians or his traditional session with reporters during the fighting in Ukraine.
In addition, his annual state-of-the-nation address was delayed until February of this year. His last news conference was in 2021 amid U.S warnings that Russia was on the brink of sending troops into Ukraine.
Putin has heavily limited his interaction with the foreign media since the fighting began in Ukraine but international journalists were invited this year.
With the future of Western aid to Ukraine in doubt and another winter of fighting looming, neither side has managed to make significant battlefield gains recently. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington on Tuesday and made an impassioned plea for more U.S. aid and weaponry.
Putin’s appearance is primarily aimed at a domestic audience and will be a chance for him to personally resolve the problems of ordinary Russian citizens and reinforce his grip on power ahead of the March 17 election.
“For the majority of people, this is their only hope and possibility of solving the most important problems,” according to a state television news report on the Russia 1 channel.
State media said that as of Wednesday, about 2 million questions for Putin had been submitted ahead of the broadcast, which is heavily choreographed and more about spectacle than scrutiny.
In 2021, Putin called a citizen who asked about water quality in the city of Pskov in western Russia and personally assured him he would order the government and local officials to fix the problem.
Many journalists hold placards to get Putin’s attention, prompting the Kremlin to limit the size of signs they can carry during the news conference, which often lasts about four hours.
Attendees must test for COVID-19 and flu before entering the news conference site. Putin enforced strict quarantine for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Mississippi expects only a small growth in state budget
- Health concerns grow in East Palestine, Ohio, after train derailment
- This $23 Travel Cosmetics Organizer Has 37,500+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews
- US Blocks Illegal Imports of Climate Damaging Refrigerants With New Rules
- Miami Marlins hiring Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as manager
- As Oil Demand Rebounds, Nations Will Need to Make Big Changes to Meet Paris Goals, Report Says
- Q&A: Sustainable Farming Expert Weighs in on California’s Historic Investments in ‘Climate Smart’ Agriculture
- Kim Kardashian Makes Rare Comments on Paris Robbery Nearly 7 Years Later
- Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
- Get to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be Done
Ranking
- Chet Holmgren injury update: Oklahoma City Thunder star suffers hip fracture
- Shopify deleted 322,000 hours of meetings. Should the rest of us be jealous?
- David Malpass is stepping down as president of the World Bank
- Mission: Impossible co-star Simon Pegg talks watching Tom Cruise's stunt: We were all a bit hysterical
- Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn Coming Out of Retirement at 40
- Sarah Jessica Parker Weighs In on Sex and the City's Worst Man Debate
- Temple University cuts tuition and health benefits for striking graduate students
- Missing Titanic Submersible Passes Oxygen Deadline Amid Massive Search
Recommendation
-
Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
-
Twitter will limit uses of SMS 2-factor authentication. What does this mean for users?
-
Renting a home may be more financially prudent than buying one, experts say
-
Polar Bears Are Suffering from the Arctic’s Loss of Sea Ice. So Is Scientists’ Ability to Study Them
-
Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
-
Fossil Fuel Companies Took Billions in U.S. Coronavirus Relief Funds but Still Cut Nearly 60,000 Jobs
-
Florida ocean temperatures peak to almost 100 degrees amid heatwave: You really can't cool off
-
Florida ocean temperatures peak to almost 100 degrees amid heatwave: You really can't cool off