Putin speaks at SPIEF: Live Updates
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking part in the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He is expected to comment on a backhanded offer of peace talks by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
Putin is appearing at the forum’s main event alongside Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.
The Russian leader spoke to heads of international news agencies on Thursday, discussing progress in the conflict with Ukraine, as well as the potential role of the EU in settling the conflict should European leaders “abandon their colonial approach and talk to Russia as an equal partner.” Putin also discussed Russia’s ‘Oreshnik’ ballistic missile, saying that the three uses of the system so far have allowed the Russian military to “make decisions in the future on the full-scale use of Oreshnik against designated targets, including in urban areas.”
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin would likely comment on a recent letter from Zelensky during the plenary session. In the letter, Zelensky levied an array of insults at the Russian president and threatened Russia with drone strikes, before asking Putin to meet for peace talks in a third country.
05 June 2026
13:20 GMTPutin has just taken the stage along with Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
Expect speeches, followed by a lengthy questions and answers session.
- 12:59 GMT
Among the attendees waiting for Putin is Robert Agee, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia. Agee says that most of the American businesses present in Russia before 2022 have stayed, and they’re looking forward to a return to business as usual.
”Let's try to end the conflict first, then we can remove the sanctions, and then we can have our businesses return,” he says.
- 12:43 GMT
The plenary session will be moderated by Indian journalist Geeta Mohan, who interviewed Putin for India Today before his state visit to New Delhi last year.
West Scrambles As Putin Speaks Freely! CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and others are in shock as Putin bypasses Western outlets, delivers blunt Donbas warnings, praises India, and sends global analysts into overdrive questioning Western narratives.
— India Today Global (@ITGGlobal) December 5, 2025
Watch #Statecraft with @Geeta_Mohan… pic.twitter.com/39qjzDfcIE - 12:30 GMT
From his thousand-year history lesson to Tucker Carlson, to his five-hour New Year’s press conferences, Putin is known for his ability to talk at length, and yesterday’s meeting with news agency chiefs was no exception. In case you missed the two-hour session, RT gathered the highlights here.
Putin acknowledged the tough measures Moscow has made to battle inflation, but channeled Mark Twain when he pointed out that rumors of the Russian economy’s death “have been greatly exaggerated.”
The Russian president drew attention to Ukraine’s steep losses on the battlefield, and in a reminder to Kiev and its Western backers, noted that Russia’s ‘Oreshnik’ missile system has not yet been used “in the full sense of the word on Ukrainian territory.”
Russia is ready for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, he added, provided that the US and EU manage to convince Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to accept the compromises agreed on with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage last year. Whether Zelensky – whose term expired in 2024 – signs the papers, he noted, is “a question for lawyers.”
- 12:21 GMT
Good afternoon, and welcome to RT’s coverage of the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The event is due to begin at any moment, but Putin often likes to keep his audience waiting. We’ll be live-blogging throughout the roughly two-hour session, so watch this space.
