A BBC editor has left the Russian president fuming for a second yr in a row throughout his annual finish of yr convention.

Chatting with the BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, Putin was seen mocking Britain’s shrinking financial system and claiming he has “pulled Russia again from the abyss”.

The Russian president additionally claimed his nation’s financial system was “approach forward of Nice Britain”, which is at present underneath the management of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves.

Rosenberg referred to Boris Yeltsin – the previous president from 1991 to 1999 – who he stated “handed you energy and advised you to care for Russia”.

He proceeded to ask Putin whether or not he believed he had taken care of Russia, “As a result of trying in, what can we see? We see substantial losses within the so-called ‘particular navy operation’ that you just declared”.

“We see Ukrainian troopers within the Kursk area. You criticise NATO enlargement however there may be now extra NATO on Russia‘s borders: Sweden and Finland”, he continued. “Sanctions, excessive inflation, demographic issues. Do you suppose you have taken care of your nation?”

Putin responded: “Sure, and I feel I have not simply taken care of it, I feel we have pulled again from the sting of the abyss as a result of with all the pieces that was occurring to Russia earlier than that we had been heading in direction of an entire, complete lack of our sovereignty.

“With out sovereignty, Russia can’t exist as an impartial state.”

He proceeded to debate Yeltsin.

He stated: “[The West] patronisingly patted him on the shoulder. They turned a blind eye when he drank. He was welcome in all Western circles”.

Referring to Yeltsin’s criticism of NATO’s assaults towards Yugoslavia within the Nineteen Nineties through the Kosovo battle, Putin added: “The second he raised his voice in assist of Yugoslavia, the second he stated that it contradicted worldwide legislation and the UN constitution… they instantly began having a go at him – calling him names, saying he is a drunk and so forth.

“Do not you keep in mind that? I’ve finished all the pieces in order that Russia may be an impartial sovereign state that’s able to taking choices by itself pursuits, not within the pursuits of nations that had been dragging it in direction of them, patting you on the shoulder to allow them to use you for their very own functions.”

Putin additionally admitted that whereas there may be inflation, he stated he was going to struggle it.

He stated: “However we now have financial progress. We’re ranked fourth on the earth by way of buying energy parity (PPP)”.

“Please inform your readers that. First place in Europe, approach forward of Nice Britain. I do not suppose Nice Britain is even within the high 5.”

In response to the Worldwide Financial Fund, Russia’s gross PPP makes it the fourth largest on the earth, whereas Britain is ranked tenth. Nevertheless, when sorted per capita, Britain has the twenty eighth largest financial system on the earth, whereas Russia lags far behind in forty third, in keeping with IMF and World Financial institution estimates.

“We’re ready to work with Nice Britain if Nice Britain desires to work with us,” he continued. “But when it does not occur, we’ll cope with out our former allies within the anti-Hitler coalition.”

On the finish of the convention, Rosenberg requested one other query, referring to MI5’s claims that Russian brokers had been “creating chaos” on the streets of Britain.

Rosenberg’s second query gave the impression to be the nail within the coffin for Putin, who audibly laughed, thanked Rosenberg for the query and instantly dismissed it as “utter garbage”.