Vladimir Putin gave an interview to journalists ahead of his visit to India. The main thing

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India on December 4-5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the eve of the state visit, he gave an interview to India Today journalists. The full version of the interview will be published on December 4 at 18:30 Moscow time. The main thing from Vladimir Putin's answers is in the Izvestia article.

About India and the colonial past

India is a great power and it should not be treated like a British colony, the Russian president said in an interview with India Today journalists.

"I think the whole world and India have realized that you can't talk to India the way they talked to her 77 years ago. India is a great power, not a British colony. And everyone will have to accept this," Putin stressed.

About the meeting with Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow and the peace plan

Describing the meeting with the American delegation that took place on December 2, Vladimir Putin explained that it "was very useful." The duration of the event was five hours due to the fact that "I had to go through every point" of the brought peace plan.

The Russian President also added that the proposals brought to Moscow are somehow based on the agreements reached during the summit in Anchorage, Alaska.

About the US Peace Plan

According to Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump is looking for ways of consensus in the Ukrainian settlement, but "this is not an easy task." He added that Russia did not agree with some points of the plan. The United States also proposed splitting the 28 points of the peace plan into four packages.

He also pointed out that it was premature to talk about what exactly suits Russia in the US ideas on Ukraine due to the fact that this could disrupt the work regime that Trump is trying to organize.

On the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin noted that Russia had offered Ukraine to withdraw troops from Donbass and not start military operations, but Kiev prefers to fight.

"We immediately told Ukraine, the Ukrainian troops: people do not want to live with you, they went to a referendum, voted for independence. Withdraw your troops and there will be no military action. No, they prefer to fight," the president said.

He stressed that Donbass and Novorossiya will be liberated in any way.

"Or we will liberate these territories by armed means. Or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop fighting there," the Russian president said.

On the participation of Europeans in the settlement in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin pointed out that the Europeans should be involved in the work on the Ukrainian settlement, and not interfere.

About the Group of Seven and the return to the Group of Eight

The Russian President wondered why the Group of Seven (G7, "seven") call themselves the "big seven", because in terms of purchasing power parity, the weight of a number of G7 countries is much lower than, for example, India.

At the same time, Putin stressed, the Group of Seven countries have a high-tech economy with a "powerful foundation," but their share in the global economy is declining annually "like a shagreen skin," and this will continue.

"Nevertheless, this is an important platform. They work there, decide something, discuss it. And God grant you good health, it's a good thing," Putin said.

When asked about returning to the Group of Eight, Vladimir Putin replied "no," adding that even before the events in Ukraine in 2014, he had practically stopped going to G8 summits.

About the visit to India and the relations between the two countries

Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that the world will be watching the visit of the Russian delegation to India, and in his opinion, there is nothing unusual in this. This is due, among other things, to the size of India's economy.

In addition, the president pointed to the unique history between Russia and India.: "I'm not even talking about the history of our relationship, because this story is unique."

He also added that bilateral relations between the states are developing in many areas and expressed the hope that Indian journalists are doing well in Russia.

About the US pressure on India

Answering the relevant question, Vladimir Putin said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "is not someone who succumbs to pressure." He also added that the Indian people can be proud of their current leader, under whom the world is witnessing India's unwavering position.