Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not deliver his annual speech to the Russian parliament in 2022, canceling his marathon press conference, which he usually holds in December, TASS reported, citing a source in the parliament.

“Notification must occur once a year, and the countdown starts from the previous notification. Therefore, the message may take place next year (…) I think that it will not take place this year,” says a source quoted by the most famous Russian state news agency.

The TASS interlocutor also noted that Vladimir Putin needs to “seriously prepare for the message, and there is not much time left until the end of the year.”

According to the Constitution of Russia, the president “addresses the Federal Assembly (not the official name of the Russian Parliament) annually with messages about the situation in the country, about the main directions of the state’s internal and foreign policy.”

TASS reminds that in these speeches the head of state traditionally assesses the situation in the country and sets goals for the future.

Asked earlier about this, Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov explained that the president’s administration will adapt to Putin’s schedule, which, he said, is “very dynamic, because the situation is dynamic.”

Last month, Peskov said that work on the text has been going on for a long time. In most cases, announcements were made every year, but there were exceptions. For example, in 2017, Putin did not speak in the parliament (the speech was postponed to March 1 of the following year).

This year, Putin will also not communicate with the press

The information, published by TASS, comes after the Kremlin confirmed earlier this week that Putin would not hold his famous annual press conference for the first time in 10 years.

“As for the big press conference, yes, there won’t be one until the new year,” Dmytro Peskov told Kremlin reporters after being asked about it again on Monday.

Peskov did not provide any arguments for such a decision, noting only that “we hope that the president will still find an opportunity to talk to journalists.” He does it regularly, including during trips abroad.”

Last year, at the annual press conference, Vladimir Putin spoke to the press for more than four hours, saying then that he wanted to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, but asked for security guarantees from Russia.

“You must give us guarantees. You! And without any delay! Now!” said the Russian president, answering questions from Sky News.

His statements came a week after the Russian Foreign Ministry sent an official request to Western countries in this regard, among Moscow’s demands was the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe.

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