‘The vampires’ ball is coming to an end’ Vladimir Putin talks NATO, nukes, and negotiations in pre-election interview

With just two days left before his fifth run for Russia’s presidency, Vladimir Putin sat down with state TV presenter Dmitry Kiselyov for an expansive interview on Wednesday. The 1.5-hour conversation touched on topics ranging from Finland’s NATO accession to Poland’s alleged ulterior motives in helping Ukraine to Wagner Group’s activities in Africa. Meduza summarizes the main points.

Negotiations and nukes

Putin said Moscow is willing to negotiate but only based on battlefield realities, not “some drug-induced wishes.” He says he reluctantly admits that he doesn’t trust anyone, but he nevertheless seeks “guarantees” offered in a way that earns his trust. Putin also said that Russia is prepared “from a military-technical standpoint” for a nuclear war, though he denied, as U.S. officials claimed in a recent CNN report, that he ever considered using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine during the “difficult times at the front in 2022.” The conditions for resorting to nuclear weapons, said Putin, are threats to “the existence of the Russian state, its sovereignty, and independence.”

Missile defense

Putin claimed that Russia’s “Avangard” hypersonic glide vehicle has “nullified” U.S. investments in missile defense systems. Putin also pointed out that Russia’s weapons for overcoming American missile defense are vastly cheaper than the U.S. systems. “The costs are simply incomparable,” he said. The president argued that such weapons, which he described as defensive, force the world to “reckon with” Russia as a powerful state. Putin first unveiled the Avangard alongside several other next-generation weapons during a state-of-the-nation address in 2018.

Western troops in Ukraine

Putin warned that Polish soldiers won’t leave Ukraine if they’re ever deployed inside the country, even if it's only to secure the Ukrainian-Belarusian border and free more Ukrainian troops to join the fight at the frontlines to the east and south. The Russian president repeated allegations that Warsaw has its own territorial designs on Ukraine. Putin also acknowledged that Western military advisors have been present in Ukraine for a long time, and he argued that even the introduction of official foreign troop contingents wouldn’t change the battlefield situation. Putin said Russian encroachment on French interests in Africa might explain why President Emmanuel Macron recently endorsed the possibility of deploying Western troops to Ukraine. At the same time, Putin insisted that Russian engagement in Africa is by invitation only, and he described Defense Ministry actions on the continent as natural support for Russian entities, including the “well-known” Wagner Group.

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NATO relations

Putin promised to deploy Russian troops and weapons systems to the border with Finland, which he accused of “ruining its ideal relationship with Russia” by joining NATO. The decision to join the U.S.-led alliance, he said, is “meaningless” from the perspective of Finland’s national interests. Putin argued that “Western elites” seek to freeze the current situation in Ukraine, which he described as “an unjust state of affairs in international relations.” “For centuries, they’ve been used to stuffing their bellies with human flesh and their pockets with money. But they must understand that the vampires’ ball is coming to an end,” Putin warned. The president also repeated past comments about “the Golden Billion” — a term he’s used to describe the West and its outsized influence over world affairs and wealth.

Russia’s approaching presidential election

Putin accused Ukraine of escalating drone attacks against Russian energy and industrial infrastructure in an effort to “disrupt” this weekend’s voting. He said Ukraine might also hope to seize — through cross-border raids carried out by supposedly “independent and autonomous” paramilitary groups — some bit of Russia’s borderlands to hold as a bargaining chip in “possible future negotiations.” 

Income taxes

Putin endorsed the idea of “fair taxation,” wherein lower-earning Russians pay income taxes at a lower rate than higher-earning Russians. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later clarified that government ministers and members of parliament will develop and propose the “main modalities” of a progressive taxation scheme. In his recent state-of-the-nation address, Putin called for a “more equitable distribution of the tax burden towards those with higher personal and corporate incomes.”