Vladimir Putin Quotes

Journalism, as concerns collecting information, differs little if at all from intelligence work. In my judgment, a journalist's job is very interesting.

Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy.

The demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.

Russians have different far lofty ambitions; more of a spiritual kind. It's more about your relationship with God .

It's not considered polite in Russia to count the money in someone else's pocket.

If Russia's interests and security are threatened, Russia will resist. Everyone needs to know that.

We in Russia have always considered Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. I still think so.

We discussed this very important issue yesterday over a beer.

Whoever is the first to cry "Stop the thief" is the one who is guilty.

It's difficult to talk to people who whisper even at home, afraid of Americans eavesdropping on them. It's not a figure of speech, not a joke, I'm serious.

Homosexuals in Russia live in peace, work, are promoted, receive national awards for their achievements in science, art or any other sphere, medals are awarded to them, I have awarded them myself.

Russia will not soon become, if it ever becomes, a second copy of the United States or England - where liberal value have deep historic roots.

The point is that in any country, including the United States, may be in the United States even more often than in any other country, foreign policy is used for internal political struggle.

You know every stage of your life has an impact on you.

The US wants to subdue Russia, to solve US problems at Russia's expense. No one in history ever managed to do this to Russia, and no one ever will.

Russia is opposed to the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, including nuclear weapons, and in this context we call upon our Iranian friends to abandon the uranium enrichment programme.

I hope that being in places from the [Shinzo Abe] Prime Minister's past will motivate us to have a sincere, very practical and, I hope, productive conversation.

We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.

Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms.

Nuclear weapons and other weapons are the means to protect our sovereignty and legitimate interests, not the means to behave aggressively or to fulfil some non-existent imperial ambitions.

I'm proud of Russia, that's true. And we have something to be proud of, but we do not have any obsession with being a superpower in the international arena.

Japan has joined the sanctions against the Russian Federation. How are we going to further economic relations on a new and much higher basis, at a higher level under the sanctions regime?

We're no longer in the Cold War. Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable.

As to our trade and economic relations with China, they are growing more and more diverse each day, something we have worked on for a long time with our partners from China.

An increase of two or three degrees wouldn't be so bad for a northern country like Russia. We could spend less on fur coats, and the grain harvest would go up.

I consider it to be the meaning of my whole life and my obligation to serve my fatherland and our people.

Of course, it's always bad to lose, of course it's always a hardship when you lose to yesterday's miners or yesterday's tractor drivers. But life is life. It'll surely go on.

We will not allow the past to drag us down and stop us from moving ahead. We understand where we should move.

President al-Assad and his army are the only force that actually fights ISIS.

Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force.

I did not know that [ the Chancellor Angela Merkel is a bit frightened of dogs]. I wanted to make her happy. When I learned that she does not like dogs, I apologized, of course.

Respecting the sovereignty means preventing coups, unconstitutional actions and illegitimate overthrowing of the legitimate government. All these things should be totally prevented.

Russia's partners should understand it's best not to mess with us.

I have never changed. I feel as young as I always did and remain close friends with Gerhard Schröder.

Democracy is an internal subject of the developing society. There are fundamentals of democracy, and they should be understood universally in different countries.

The Russians have turned out to be the largest divided nation in the world nowadays. Is that not a problem?

It is simply that we treat Japanese history, the history of the Japanese people and its unique culture with greater respect and interest. This generates enormous interest in Russia!

The thing is, however strange it may seem, that the interests of the United States and of the Russian Federation do coincide sometimes.

I am a human being, a citizen of the Russian Federation, a Russian.

The Comrade Wolf knows whom to eat, as the saying goes. It knows whom to eat and is not about to listen to anyone, it seems.

I am never guided by a possible assessment of my work.

Democracy is not possible without effectively working legal system.

Democracy means the power of the people and the possibility of influencing the governing parties. Russia had had enough experience with a one-party-system - we will not go back there.

I'm convinced that a person in my position must provide a positive example to people.

The centuries-old history and culture of India, majestic architectural monuments and museums of Delhi, Agra and Mumbai have a unique attractive force.

The path towards a free society has not been simple. There are tragic and glorious pages in our history.

I would like to deal with a person who is able to take responsible decisions and implement the agreements reached. The name [Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton] does not matter.

I would like to repeat: I know absolutely nothing about [hacker's attacks], and Russia has never done anything like this at the State level.

I believe that meetings at the top level in a relatively informal atmosphere are always useful, and there is reason to hope that we will make progress in resolving the matters we will be considering.

Nowhere is it written that NATO had to accept certain countries. All that would have been required to refrain from doing so was the political will. But people didn't want to.