News Flash
MOSCOW, Dec 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Russian leader Vladimir Putin will hold his annual end-of-year press conference on December 19, the Kremlin said Thursday, an event that has become a staple of his long rule.
Putin has held the conference -- which often lasts for hours -- every December in his 25-year tenure, excepting only 2022, as Moscow faced military setbacks in Ukraine.
This year's event will take place as Moscow's Ukraine campaign nears its fourth anniversary, and as the United States pushes talks to end it.
Putin has told Russians repeatedly in recent days that the Kremlin intends to take the rest of Ukraine's Donbas region -- whether by force or other means.
The conference has traditionally been tightly controlled by the Kremlin, and sees a mix of Russians calling in from around the vast country and Putin taking questions from journalists.
Last year's event lasted for four hours and 30 minutes.
The conference will take place with Russia under massive Western sanctions aimed at hobbling its Ukraine offensive, along with an unprecedented crackdown on dissent at home.
Putin, a 73-year-old former KGB agent, became the president of Russia on December 31, 1999 after Boris Yeltsin stepped down from the role.
