Matviyenko said Putin's words laid the potential for talks on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin 's statements and Russia's use of the latest weaponry, including the Oreshnik medium-range missile, have laid the potential for negotiations on Ukraine. This was stated by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko at the plenary session of the chamber on Wednesday, November 27.

She explained that the Russian leader's decision was due to three reasons: to give a response to the escalation by the West and allowing Kiev to strike with long-range missiles on Russian territory; to show Russia's readiness for any developments and its ability to respond and also to lay the foundation for a potential settlement of the conflict.

"This act and Vladimir Vladimirovich's words have a very great potential to tip the scales toward choosing a peaceful way to resolve the conflict with unconditional respect for Russia's interests," she said.

Matviyenko said that Moscow has a precise understanding that the message was understood by all those to whom it was intended. She emphasized that it was not an ultimatum or a threat, as Western media try to present it, but a balanced and reasonable decision backed by concrete actions.

According to the Federation Council Speaker, this "act is the most powerful in modern geopolitics" and its significance will unfold over time.

"Oreshnik": characteristics and power of the newest MRBM

Putin said on Nov. 21 that Ukraine had used Western long-range weapons against the Russian state, causing the regional conflict to acquire elements of a global conflict. He also said that one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, the Oreshnik ballistic missile, had been tested under combat conditions.

The Oreshnik hit the Yuzhmash plant in Dnipropetrovsk. Head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) Denis Pushilin said that the use of such a missile is a fair response to Kiev's aggression against peaceful Russian cities.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian President on February 24, 2022, is still ongoing. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.