Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday will participate in an annual press conference in the country's capital, Moscow. The event, known as the Direct Line, will be a combined live Q and A session and press conference, starting at noon local time (0900GMT) at Gostiny Dvor, near Moscow's Red Square.

According to Anadolu Agency, the event has been held almost annually since 2001, except for 2004, 2012, and 2022, the latter coinciding with the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During the event, Putin will field questions from various parts of the country and from both local and foreign journalists. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned that journalists from both friendly and unfriendly countries will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The press conference is expected to address multiple domestic and foreign policy issues, including ongoing US-mediated negotiations on a peace deal for Ukraine. A series of talks aimed at establishing a peace framework to end the war, now approaching its fourth year, have been conducted since November, with meetings in Switzerland and the US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that a new round of talks with the US would occur on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, Peskov confirmed that Moscow is preparing relevant contacts with Washington concerning a revised US-proposed peace plan that has been under discussion over the past two weeks. These discussions initially revolved around a draft 28-point proposal, reportedly requiring Ukraine to make significant concessions, including recognizing Russian control over certain territories, reducing its military personnel, and agreeing not to join NATO.