Russian President Vladimir Putin maintained his tradition of coming online at the annual Conversation With Vladimir Putin programme which was broadcasted by all state channels live on the 7th of June, 2018. President Putin began the 4-hour long broadcast by delivering his own opinions regarding the state of the Russian Federation before moving on to accept questions from the public live at the phone-in. Among the many questions, he answered, President Putin, took a usual belligerent stance regarding the prospect of a third world war with reference to Russia ever withdrawing their troops from Syria.
Quoting Albert Einstein, President Putin declared that if understanding should ever fail to restrain them from taking any extreme steps on the international arena, the predicted fourth world war would indeed be fought with sticks and stones. In reference to such a war, the President noticed a flashing comment on the TV screen which brought into the game the prospect of Ukrainian forces utilizing the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia as a distraction to engage in a full out attack against Russia-backed separatists situated in eastern Ukraine. His answer confirmed that if said hypothetical situation ever came to pass, grave consequences would await the Ukrainian statehood.
Moving away from the precautions of an oncoming war, President Putin also took some more personal questions about his life. When asked live by a caller, President Putin gave an elaborate account of his religious faith in God, and also included some tips of the things he is accustomed to doing when all else seems negative. In a subsequent question regarding his family, President Putin announced that if there was one piece of advice he could pass on to his grandchildren, which he had himself learnt from his father, it would definitely be the simple phrase of “don’t lie.”