2 world leaders are drowning - who would Putin save?
MOSCOW -- Mixing wry jokes with economic statistics, Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to charm the nation during his annual marathon call-in TV show Thursday, promising that its troubled economy will rebound and vowing to make other countries reckon with Russia's interests.
Putin answered questions from adults and children from around the country during the highly scripted event, which he uses to burnish his image as a strong leader who protects Russia from foreign threats and cares about ordinary people's needs.
Ahead of the show, Russians sent more than 1 million questions to Putin, ranging from economic troubles at home to the situation in Syria.
Asked about Russia's strained ties with Turkey, Ukraine and some other nations, Putin said Russia is ready for friendly ties with all nations but will retaliate to any hostile moves.
"We must respond, or otherwise they will sit on our neck and whip us up," Putin said.
He said the United States must learn to respect Russia's legitimate interests and cooperate with Moscow as an equal.
"If they talk to us in a respectful way, we will always be able to find solutions that will satisfy everyone," he said. "They must simply work with Russia as an equal partner."
Putin told viewers that Russia has shored up the Syrian army to the point where it can conduct offensive operations despite a Russian military drawdown, pointing to the Syrian forces' success in recapturing Palmyra from the Islamic State group.
Putin also voiced hope that the truce brokered by Russia and the U.S. will help the Syria peace talks in Geneva go forward, paving way for a new constitution and an early election. The IS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have been excluded from the truce.
Despite the current strain in relations with Turkey, Putin said Russia considers it a friendly nation but has "problems with some politicians who have behaved improperly."
When a 12-year-old girl asked him if he would save Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko if they were drowning and which one would he save first, Putin responded wryly that "if someone decides to drown, it's impossible to save him."
But he added that "we, of course, are ready to extend the hand of assistance and the hand of friendship to any of our partners if they themselves want this."
Russia-Turkey ties worsened dramatically after a Turkish jet shot down a Russian warplane at the Syrian border last November. Putin responded by halting the sale of package tours to Turkey and banning most agricultural imports from Turkey.
Putin acknowledged that Russia's economy remains in recession, but predicted Thursday it would begin growing again next year, noting that agriculture production was rising.
Putin spoke one day after the Pentagon released dramatic video of Russian jets flying extremely close to a U.S. warship more than 30 times over two days. Russia says its warplanes respected all safety rules.
Russian defense ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Thursday the Su-24 fighter jet pilots saw the ship and then turned back "while using all measures of precaution."
Konashenkov claimed that the ministry was baffled by what he described as the "distressed reaction of our American counterparts."