Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken about the war in Ukraine, Russia’s relations with the United States, and the country’s population problems. On Ukraine, Putin accused Western countries that support Ukraine of becoming “accomplices of international terrorism” if they ignore or remain silent about attacks and threats. He particularly criticized Ukraine’s Western allies for what he described as a failure to pay attention to these issues. Putin also said that Russia continues to maintain contact with Ukraine, mainly through intelligence services. According to him, these channels remain an important way for the two sides to communicate despite the ongoing conflict. Putin further discussed reports of threats against civilian aircraft. He called such threats a form of “state terrorism” and said they could make it more difficult for Russia and Ukraine to hold direct peace negotiations. Despite his criticism, Putin has continued to speak about the possibility of negotiations. His comments suggest that Russia believes security concerns and attacks could affect efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war. Putin also highlighted Russia’s enormous size. He reminded people that Russia has the largest territory of any country in the world. Russia stretches across a huge part of Europe and Asia and covers millions of square kilometres. Another issue Putin discussed was Russia’s declining birth rate. He said the country’s current birth rate is not high enough. While he acknowledged that Russia does not have the lowest birth rate in the world, he argued that the country should work toward achieving much better figures. A low birth rate can create long-term challenges for a country, including a smaller working population and greater pressure on social services. Putin’s comments show that population growth remains an important issue for the Russian government. Finally, Putin said Russia supports the full restoration of relations with the United States. Relations between Moscow and Washington have been severely strained by the war in Ukraine and other disagreements. Putin’s remarks therefore covered several major issues: the Ukraine conflict, possible peace talks, relations with the West and the United States, Russia’s population decline, and the country’s vast territory.