Thread by @GrayConnolly

Watching the annual end of year press conference that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, conducts with local and foreign media. It is now in (at least) its second hour. Wondering whether US President Biden, who has no less sycophantic a local media, could do this for as long?

Putin just said what is in Ukraine is the western frontier of historic Russia - and that the idea of Ukraine only exists because of Lenin (!) and as the Soviet Union disappeared, so should the conception of a separate Ukraine .....

Putin talking a lot about NATO expansion to Russia's borders ... in the 1990s, everyone from George Kennan down who had any knowledge of Russian history said that NATO expansion would sow enmity with Russia & ensure Russia would raise up a nationalist leader bent on revanchism...

Putin really going into a widely held history of Russian grievances - Russia in 1990s was on its knees, there were Western officials in the Russian Govt, and then the West expanded NATO to a weak Russia's borders .... 'to hell with the West's concerns' or words to that effect

Strong sense that Putin's grievance is less about Ukraine per se (his answer rambled) than getting Russia out of the 1990s mindset & forcing the West to show Russia the respect its history and size demands (his answer was unusually passionate).

Just in case Putin’s comments about NATO’s successive expansions since the 1990s were not forceful enough … the RT chryon reinforcing the message

Putin now defending Gazprom’s record of delivering gas to European customers … says the American suppliers are unreliable & only Russia is a cheap, reliable, and all weathers, energy supplier (distinct message to Berlin here in a cold northern winter).

Putin offering to help resolve issues with Gazprom supplies & European customers .... Putin's tone and substance along the lines of 'gas supplies can be plentiful .... or not' & is directed to Berlin (where temperature right now is -1°C!)

Putin returning again to the Minsk Accords & demands that the Donbass people determine their own future (sounds like a demand at least for a local plebiscite that would transfer parts of east Ukraine to Russia ... conducted by the "little green men"?)