Putin to Take Int'l Reporter Questions 06/18 06:39

   

   ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to 
take questions Wednesday from international journalists on the sidelines of the 
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

   Putin scheduled a roundtable session with senior news leaders of 
international news agencies, including The Associated Press. Among other 
issues, he's expected to spell out Moscow's position on the conflict between 
Israel and Iran that he offered to help mediate in a weekend call with U.S. 
President Donald Trump.

   Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for 
decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has 
developed strong economic and military ties with Iran, a policy that 
potentially opens opportunities for Moscow to play power broker to help end the 
confrontation.

   Putin's comments will also be watched closely for clues to his strategy in 
the three-year conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has intensified its aerial 
campaign and stepped up ground attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer 
(over 600-mile) front line. He has effectively rejected Trump's offer of an 
immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's 
mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.

   The Russian leader has used the annual forum to highlight Russia's economic 
achievements and seek foreign investment. Western executives, who attended the 
event in the past, have avoided it after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 
February 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin 
America.

   On the sidelines of the forum, Putin is set to have meetings with Indonesian 
President Prabowo Subianto and former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who 
now heads the New Development Bank created by the BRICS alliance of Brazil, 
Russia, India, China and South Africa. He's also expected to confer with top 
officials from China, South Africa and Bahrain and the head of the OPEC group 
of oil-producing countries.

   On Friday, he is set to attend a panel discussion at the forum, a venue he 
has used to make policy statements.