Trump's efforts, piglets, Russia's secret weapon: Putin's statements at 'Results of Year'

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is making serious efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict once and for all and is doing so with complete sincerity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year."

He also explained that when he took a jab at Europeans by calling them "piglets," as the Western media translated the Russian term, he was not referring to anyone specific in Europe, but rather to a "group of people."

In addition, the Russian leader jokingly called the 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet "a Russian secret weapon" after a media question about whether it was a spaceship or an object of artificial origin in general.

TASS has compiled Putin's key statements.

Trump is making serious efforts to make peace in Ukraine: "As he has said many times, he is doing this, in my opinion, with complete sincerity."

Russia and the US came to verbal agreements in Alaska: "Therefore, it is absolutely incorrect and unfounded to say that we are rejecting something. At preliminary meetings in Moscow, proposals were made to us, and we were asked to make certain compromises. When I arrived in Anchorage, I said that these would be difficult decisions for us, but we agree with the compromises offered to us."

The Russian term "podsvinki" that Putin used during the December 17 expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry's board to refer to European leaders actually means something like "scumbags." However, the Western media translated it as "piglets."

"I wasn't referring to anyone in particular. I never get personal and I don't allow myself to do anything like that. I was referring to a group of people in general, an undefined group of people, as lawyers say."

After being deceived by the West and witnessing the failure to implement the Minsk agreements, Russia was forced to use military force to end the war started by Kiev: "For our part, we did not recognize the independence of the unrecognized republics - the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic - for a long time. After being deceived and the Minsk agreements failing to be implemented, we were forced to use armed forces to end the war started by the Kiev regime with the support of Western countries."

Both the USSR and Russia were willing to join NATO, but they realized that they were not welcome: "As for cooperation with NATO, we did cooperate with NATO. It was not a question of cooperation, but rather, direct membership - first of the Soviet Union, and then, the Russian Federation. But in both cases, we realized that we were not welcome."

Russia's security demands are nothing new. Rather, Russia is merely insisting that the West fulfill its previous promises: "We were deceived, and we want a reliable security system established in Europe."

Russia's promises regarding NATO non-expansion are being ignored: "We have been deceived once again."

There will be no new special military operations if Russia is treated with respect and not "duped": "There will be no operations if you treat us with respect. If you respect our interests, just as we have always tried to respect yours. If you don't dupe us, as you did with NATO's eastward expansion."

Russia is ready to negotiate a diplomatic settlement of the conflict: "The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents, so to speak, primarily the leaders of the Kiev regime and, in this case, their European sponsors."

Russia really wants to live in peace and without military conflicts next year: "And I repeat once again, we would very much like to, we strive to resolve all contentious issues through negotiations."

Moscow is ready to end the conflict in Ukraine "provided that Russia's security is guaranteed in the medium and long term."

The West itself created the current conflict in Ukraine and continues to "escalate the situation": "They constantly talk about how they are preparing for war with Russia."

Claims that Russia is allegedly going to attack Europe are nonsense: "Us? Attack Europe? Come on. What kind of nonsense is that!"

Russia is not at war with the West, but Western countries are at war with Russia "through the hands of Ukrainian nationalists."

The West portrays Russia as an enemy "to cover up the mistakes that many Western governments have systematically made over a number of years, both in the economic and social policy spheres."

Russia is ready to cooperate with the US, the UK, and Europe as a whole "but on equal terms, with mutual respect."

The 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet is Russia's "secret weapon": "I will tell you, but this must remain strictly between us. This is classified information: it's our secret weapon, but we will only use it in the most extreme case."

Russia is against the deployment of any kind of weapons in outer space.

The interstellar comet poses no threat to Earth, as it is too far away: "Let's send it to Jupiter! And by the beginning of next year, the comet will leave the solar system."