The president explained to the interviewer, Dmitri Kiseliov, director of the Rossiya Segodnya group (RT), that these possible negotiations should not be a pause for the rearmament of Ukraine, but rather a dialogue on security guarantees for Russia.

He stressed that regarding a fair agreement with the West, he does not trust anyone, but “guarantees enshrined on paper” are needed, and that Russia is not going to believe in empty promises. He added that he prefers to “be guided by the facts, in place of good wishes and conversations about the need to trust everyone.

“When a decision is made at this level, the degree of responsibility for the consequences of the decision is very high. Therefore, we will not do anything that contradicts the interests of our country,” he said.

Later on in his interview, Putin noted that “no one will take us into account if we cannot defend ourselves. And the consequences could be catastrophic for the Russian state,” he said, adding that currently “Russia is not at a crossroads, it is at the strategic path of its development and will not deviate from that path. I have already said it on many occasions, we will not allow anyone to do that.”

Last week, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that attempts to intervene in Russia’s internal affairs, including the presidential elections, “are bound to fail,” and will have negative consequences for their authors.

Late in February, the president denounced in his annual message to the Federal Assembly the attempts undertaken by the West to weaken Russia from within, which failed when faced with the resolute determination of the Russian people. He also highlighted Russia’s ability to overcome significant challenges, including fighting international terrorism and preserving national unity, and warned that Moscow will not allow anyone to meddle in its internal affairs.

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