Putin laments "serious blunders" in top general's killing, says he'll meet Trump "any time" on Ukraine war
Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made a rare admission of failings by his powerful security agencies over the Ukraine-orchestrated killing of a senior general in Moscow. Lt. General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian military's chemical and biological weapons unit, was killed by a bomb planted in a scooter in Moscow on Tuesday, the boldest assassination claimed by Kyiv since the start of the conflict.
"Our special services are missing these hits. They missed these hits. It means we need to improve this work. We must not allow such very serious blunders to happen," Putin said at his end-of-year press conference, addressing a string of attacks inside Russia on high-profile Kremlin backers amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been linked to previous attacks in Russia, including the August 2022 car bombing of nationalist Darya Dugina and an explosion in a Saint Petersburg cafe in April 2023 that killed high-profile military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky.
Putin was addressing the killing of Kirillov for the first time, more than 48 hours after the blast in a residential part of the Russian capital. Questions have been asked in Moscow about the security protocols for such a high-ranking and public figure involved in the military offensive on Ukraine.
Kyiv claimed responsibility for the attack, saying explosives were packed into an electric scooter left by the door of a residential building.
When Kirillov and his assistant left the building, it detonated, killing them both.
Russia has detained an Uzbek citizen born in 1995, suspected of carrying out the attack, the Investigative Committee said Wednesday.
It claimed he said he had been "recruited by Ukrainian special forces."
Putin on Thursday called the attack "terrorism".
A source in Ukraine's SBU security services called Kirillov a "legitimate target" and has accused him of being behind the mass use of banned chemical weapons on the frontline in eastern Ukraine.
Putin says he'll meet Trump "any time" about Ukraine
Putin said Thursday he was ready for talks "any time" with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has touted his ability to strike a Ukraine peace deal within hours of coming to office.
Trump, who will return to the White House in January, has stoked fears in Kyiv that he could force Ukraine to accept peace on terms favourable to Moscow.
Holding his annual end-of-year press conference, the Kremlin leader said his troops held the upper hand across the battlefield, but was forced to admit he does not know when Russia will take back the western Kursk region where Ukrainian troops launched an incursion in August.
The traditional annual question and answer sessions, often lasting hours, are largely a televised show while also being a rare setting in which he is put on the spot and answers some uncomfortable questions.
Asked about Trump's overtures regarding a possible peace deal, Putin said he would welcome a meeting with the incoming Republican.
"I don't know when I'm going to see him. He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time," Putin said.
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