Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Tuesday that he would help to find American journalist Austin Tice who went missing in Syria a dozen years ago.
Speaking at a marathon four-and-a-half hour news conference at which he fielded questions from journalists and the general public, Putin said he would bring up Tice’s fate with Syria’s former dictator Bashar al-Assad who fled to Russia after his regime was ousted by rebels earlier this month.
“I promise to ask this question,” he said in response to a question from NBC News’ Keir Simmons, who attended the conference.
Putin, whose comments were translated into English, added that he had not seen Assad since he arrived in Russia, but referring to Tice, he said “a person went missing 12 years ago, we understand what situation was there back then.”
Putin covered a range of subjects during the conference, including the war in Ukraine, the economy as well as President Joe Biden, his successor Donald Trump and Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Joking about Biden’s pardon for his son Hunter before he was scheduled to be sentenced for his conviction on federal gun charges and in a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges, Putin said his American counterpart was “a politician.”
“It turned out that Biden is more of a human being,” he said. “I would not blame him.”
On Trump, he rejected a question that he would have a weaker hand in negotiations with the future president, insisting he was “ready for this.”
He said his “forces were advancing” in Ukraine, and Russia’s “defense capabilities are the highest in the world, same for our military industry.”
Asked about a ceasefire, he said it would depend on whether “the U.S. manages to persuade Kyiv.”
But, he added, “we don’t need a ceasefire, we need a long-term peace.”
The annual show is as much spectacle as news conference. Journalists and members of the public in the hall near the Kremlin wave colorful signs and placards to attract Putin’s attention.
Ordinary citizens submitted more than 2 million questions ahead of the show, Russian state media reported.
Analysis: Jokes can't mask the challenges Putin faces
When NBC News asked about the huge numbers of dead in Ukraine and this week’s assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Krillov, Putin rejected the idea that he has lost strength.
Quoting Mark Twain, he said, “Rumors of my demise are much exaggerated,” which got a laugh from the crowd.
But the truth is often said in jest, and the Russian leader will undoubtedly be aware that he has faced setbacks in Syria, Ukraine and on the home front with several high-profile assassinations, including Krillov’s.
With President-elect Donald Trump set to enter the White House soon, Putin appeared to relent a little on Ukraine. “Politics is the art of compromise,” he said.
Putin ends marathon conference after 4½ hours
According to the ticker on Russian television, Putin's annual end-of-year press conference has finally concluded 4 hours and 31 minutes after it began. That makes it one of his longest ever conferences, although not quite a record which he set in 2013, with 4 hours and 47 minutes.
Russia would back a ceasefire in Ukraine on one condition
Asked whether Russia would be willing to implement any kind of ceasefire, whether permanent or not, Putin says “on the condition that the U.S. manages to persuade Kyiv.”
However, he said, “we don’t need a ceasefire, we need a long-term peace.”
The Russian president claims that he has previously agreed to ceasefires proposed by the Hungarian and Turkish leaders and blames Ukraine's president for stepping back from those deals.
Russia should have invaded Ukraine 'earlier,' Putin says
Asked what he would do differently given the chance to go back to February 2022 — when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Putin says the decision “should have been made earlier.”
“We started the events of 2022 without any special preparation,” he adds. “But why did we start those? Because it was no longer possible to wait and stand still, and wait for the situation to get worse for us.”
Putin 'almost stopped laughing' after launching Ukraine war
When asked how the war in Ukraine has changed him, Putin says he “started making fewer jokes and almost stopped laughing.”
He adds that he “began to improve my current skills in finding key questions.”
“My happiness will not be complete until all return from the front line,” he added.
Biden 'more of a human being' than a politician, Putin says
President Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter Biden is among the litany of topics Putin has covered in his press conference.
Putin joked about Biden's official pardon of his son, who was set to face sentencing over federal gun and tax convictions, saying “silence is golden.”
Biden "is a politician," he added. "And it is always important [to know] what are you more — a politician or a human being. It turned out that Biden is more of a human being. I would not blame him for this.”
Earlier this month, the Kremlin criticized Biden's reversal of his long-held insistence that he would not use his executive powers for his son's case. Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the time that it showed that the U.S. was “a caricature of democracy" in a comment to the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia.
Putin's pressers traditionally run long
With Putin’s marathon press conference nearing the four-hour mark, the Russian leader has begun to tackle a “small blitz” of quick-fire questions.
Among other things, he's talked about micromanaging officials and his wish to meet more often with his friends, among whom he names former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former French President Jacques Chirac.
Last year’s press conference lasted four hours and three minutes.
Watch Putin respond to NBC News about Austin Tice
Putin told NBC News’ Keir Simmons that he would raise the case of missing journalist Austin Tice with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“I have not seen President Assad when he arrived in Moscow,” he said. “But a person went missing 12 years ago, we understand what situation was there back then.”
Zelenskyy calls for Western unity 'to pressure Russia into a real peace'
Despite Putin’s claims during the press conference to be ready for “negotiations and compromises,” his would-be interlocutor, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appeared to have a different take on what would be necessary to end the war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, who attended this week’s European Council meeting, said in a post on X that “peace is possible if we stand united against Russian madness.”
Putin condemns Israeli military campaigns in Gaza and Syria
When asked about the war in Gaza, Putin told reporters that he didn’t know “what Israel’s ultimate goals are in the Gaza Strip, but this deserves only condemnation.”
Israel is “continuing its unlawful settlement activities” in Gaza, he said, pointing to the United Nations Security Council's preferred two-state solution.
Putin also commented on Israel’s military expansion into the Golan Heights in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime.
“I’m under the impression that Israel is not only not planning to leave Syrian territory, but is going to strengthen its position there,” he said.