Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual press conference for the first time in ten years, in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"There will be no press conference before the New Year," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, Bloomberg news agency, without elaboration, today, Monday, in response to a question about the conference.
Peskov added that the president would try to "find an opportunity" instead of a conference to talk to reporters.
It is noteworthy that Putin holds the press conference annually at the end of December since he returned to the presidency in 2012, attended by hundreds of journalists from Russia and representatives of foreign media in Moscow, which is broadcast live by television and lasts for a period of more than three hours.
Last month, the American Daily Beast reported that President Putin might cancel his "big" press conference for the first time in 10 years, and indicated that the status of Russian forces in Ukraine plays an important role in the decision to cancel.