“A dialogue on the subject is under way. It’s a difficult dialogue and I won’t go into the details now, but I think on the whole we’re speaking in a language which we both understand. I hope we find a solution.”

At one point President Putin appeared to confirm that opposition figures were being hunted in Russia.

Asked by a reporter whether the criminal code might be changed to prevent a “witch-hunt” against journalists including a pro-Kremlin colleague, Mr Putin said: “What did she do to be hunted? What is she, some big opposition figure or something?”

Russia’s biggest opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is facing 19 years in jail and his team say they have had no access to him for more than a week.

Putin’s other talking points

• The Russian leader reacted to the decision to allow Russian athletes to participate at the 2024 Olympics in Paris as long as they compete without flags, emblems or anthems of their country
• He said that he supported Russian athletes competing but that the country should ponder whether it should take part if the event is designed to portray Russian sport as “dying”
• He also spoke about the situation in Gaza, describing it as as a “catastrophe” unfolding on a scale that was “nothing like” Ukraine
• On artificial intelligence (AI), Mr Putin – responding to an AI body double of himself – said Russia should become a world leader in the AI sphere
• He again blamed the US for explosions that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines to Russia in September 2022, without offering any proof.

Source