Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has yet to meet with exiled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, although he personally made the decision to grant asylum to the dictator and his family when the dictator of Syria fled the country after the collapse of his regime.

He made the comments during an annual press conference and question-and-answer session, where he fielded questions from both journalists in the audience and Russian citizens who submitted their queries in advance.

Topics ranged from Syria, Ukraine, Russia's economy and Putin's relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump, all part of a carefully choreographed show that lasted more than four hours.

Putin, who said he has not spoken to Trump in four years, said he is open to meeting with the new US president, who has repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine shortly after taking office the position on January 20.

While many questions from the audience came from reporters affiliated with Russian state media, NBC correspondent Keir Simmons asked Putin if he was willing to compromise when it came to Ukraine, a question the Russian president did not he answered completely.

"We are ready," Putin said without offering any details. "We just need the other side to be ready as well. For negotiations and for a compromise."

The Kremlin has repeatedly said it will not negotiate with Ukraine unless it abandons its ambitions to join NATO and withdraw troops from territories now controlled by Russian troops.

Kursk

Putin was also asked about Russia's fight to retake several hundred square kilometers of the Kursk region, which Ukraine still controls after a blitzkrieg offensive in western Russia in August.

He said Russian troops are fighting to retake Kursk, but there is no firm date for "liberating" it.

"The situation (at the front) is changing dramatically. There is movement all over the front line every day," he said.

He noted that the campaign in Ukraine should have started before February 2022, saying that Russia should have "systematically prepared for this".

While he praised the heroic efforts of Russian soldiers, he did not mention the thousands of North Korean troops that Ukraine and the US say are fighting alongside the Russians.

At least 100 of them have been killed, according to a South Korean lawmaker who cited information from the country's spy agency on Thursday.

Russian state media reported that two million Russian citizens submitted questions before Putin's press conference on topics ranging from the cost of living, mortgage rates and what Russia still calls its "special military operation." .

Economy

The first question was about Russia's economygiven the rising inflation rate driven by the country funneling money into the war effort. Across the country, there have been concerns about rising food and grocery prices.

Putin admitted that the inflation rate, which is above nine percent, is an "alarming" figure, but said government measures to cool the economy are working. He said economic growth is expected to be around four percent this year and will slow in 2025.

"I think the (growth rate) next year should be around 2 to 2.5 percent, kind of a soft landing to maintain macroeconomic indicators," he said.

Syria

Putin was asked about Russia's presence in Syria, where it has two large military bases, the Hmeimim airbase and a naval base in the port of Tartous.

Satellite images indicate that Russia is in the process of moving some of the military equipment, but Putin said that Russia has proposed that its "partners" use the air base for humanitarian purposes.

The future of the airbase, which was used to launch strikes in Syria in support of Assad, is now in question as the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has taken control of Damascus, ousting the Assad government than Russia. had been supporting for years.

"In general, we have achieved our goal," Putin said of the bases. "We maintain relations with all the collectives that control the situation there,

He also condemned Israel's land grab in the country and said he believed Israel had no intention of withdrawing its troops from Syria.

American journalist Austin Tice

During the news conference, Simmons asked Putin if he would talk to Assad about the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012.

Putin replied that Tice was someone who disappeared 12 years ago during a civil war, but then said he would ask Assad about the American when the two talk.

Tice, a former US Marine, was one of the first American journalists to arrive in Syria after the war began.

US President Joe Biden said earlier this month that the government believes Tice is still alive. There was hope that Tice would be among the thousands of people released from prisons in Damascus.