All news

Putin to hold annual news conference before end of year, spokesman says

Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the president’s annual news conference was planned to take place in-person

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his usual annual news conference before the end of the year, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, declining to announce a specific date for the event.

When asked if Putin’s annual news conference could take place on December 23, the Russian presidential spokesman noted that "this date is under consideration along with others." "The news conference will definitely be held before the end of the year," he added.

Peskov said earlier that the president’s annual news conference was planned to take place in-person.

Putin’s annual news conferences began to be held in 2001. There was a break between May 2008 and May 2012, when he served as Russia's prime minister. The practice was resumed after Putin’s election for a six-year term as president in 2012. In the past years, Putin's annual news conferences took place in December. In December 2020, the format of the event was changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with some reporters attending the president's Novo-Ogaryovo residence and others asking questions via video link from Moscow's World Trade Center, the usual venue of the event. Apart from journalists, members of the public were also provided with the opportunity to ask questions, so Putin's end-of-year news conference was combined with his annual Q&A session.