Vladimir Putin Quotes

I'm eternally grateful to fate and the citizens of Russia that they've trusted me to be the head of the Russian government.

Somebody is always suspecting Russia of having some ambitions, there are always those who are trying to misinterpret us or keep something back.

In the soul of a Russian person there is always a drive toward some kind of lofty moral ideal, lofty moral values. That definitely sets us apart, and I'm certain it's in a good way.

I have worked like a galley slave throughout these eight years, morning till night, and I have given all I could to this work. I am happy with the results.

If you aspire to be a leader of your own country, you must speak your own language, for God's sake.

Stalinism is linked with a cult of personality and massive violations of the law, with repression and camps. There is nothing like that in Russia and, I hope, will never again be...

I believe that in fact it would be economically reasonable and logical to reach a compromise [on oil production], I am sure that everybody understands this.

Admire? No, I have never said that. I still appreciate Angela Merkel as a very professional and open person.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.

My personal position is that society must keep children safe.

Problems between countries always exist, especially between such big countries as Russia and the United States. There have always been some issues, but I don't think we should go to extremes.

President Obama hasn't been elected by the American people in order to be pleasant to Russia.

Under our regional cooperation projects, we are building roads and bridges. The scope of regional cooperation [with China] is constantly growing.

For Russia, there is not and there may not be another political option but democracy. However, Russian democracy is... not at all the realization of standards imposed on us from outside.

We have good joint projects in the helicopter and aircraft manufacturing industry. We are considering cooperation and are actively cooperating in space. There are good prospects there [with China].

Prisons where people can't even work is the worst punishment you can think of. And I don't think we should put all convicts in such facilities where people are deprived of their freedom.

The absence of a peace treaty [with Japan] is an anachronism we inherited from the past and it must be removed. However, how to do this is a complicated issue.

Over the course of the year 1990, the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher had many conversations with President [Mikhail] Gorbachev and other Soviet officials.

A policy of expansionism and conquest has no future in the modern world.

NATO and the USA wanted a complete victory over the Soviet Union. They wanted to sit on the throne in Europe alone.

The Central Bank is constantly purchasing, purchasing and selling and vice versa - this is their job.

I do not want to answer provocative question.

I am sure that, after all, any man in my place should set a positive example for other people.

There can be no democracy without observing the law and everyone must observe it - that is the most basic and important thing that we all should remember.

Political activities in Russia should be as transparent as possible. Financing political activities from abroad is something the state should keep an eye on.

The Central Bank should take into account other things as well: the stability of the bank system in the country, the increase or decrease of money supply in the economy, its influence on inflation.

Whatever we do, all the knowledge, the experience, they stay with us, we carry them on, use them in one way or another.

The problem of sexual minorities in Russia has been deliberately made controversial in Russia. There is no such problem in Russia.

Economic crimes are complex in nature, difficult to untangle, and they must be investigated according to the procedures set by the law.

It is wrong to make anyone into an enemy; it is wrong to scare the people of one's own country with that enemy and try to rally some allies on that basis.

Speaking seriously, Russia does not want to aggravate relations with anyone. We don't want any tensions. We want a good, friendly partnership with everyone.

We see Serbs as our spiritual brothers. And that is what is at the base of our relations today and in the future.

If you want to lower the significance of Russia in the world, you actually just want to elevate your own country. That is a mistake.

Of course Germany's media are heavily influenced by the country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things.

There are both things in international law: the principle of territorial integrity and right to self-determination.

The natural economic, humanitarian and social integration, do not require any armed forces.

Presidents come and go, and even parties come to and away from power. But the main policy tack does not change.

I go to the gym, I swim daily and from time to time I meet with friends and do extra-curricular stuff.

We don't need a weakened government but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole.

We should find other platforms, other forums for that [foreign policy], and there are plenty of them, including, for example, the UN and the Security Council.

I was told that [Japan journalists] wanted to see my dog, Yume. You can see that she is in great shape.

This issue is not economic but political. I hope that all market participants interested in maintaining stable and reasonable world energy prices will finally make the right decision.

I have a huge interest in Japan, which is well known, including its history and culture, and so it will be very interesting for me to see and learn more about Japan.

Yume is a no-nonsense dog. There are many people here, with camcorders running, lights shining and cameras clicking. She is being a guard dog.

I assure you that interest in Japanese culture in Russia is just as strong as interest in Russian culture in Japan.

It is 60 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations, but relations between Japan and Russia have much deeper roots. In all, our diplomatic ties date back 150 years, more than 150 years now.

Prime Minister [Shinzō Abe] and I have spoken a lot, and we said all the right things, in my opinion, about creating an atmosphere of trust and friendship between our nations and peoples.

I believe a healthy lifestyle is an extremely important thing which underpins solution to numerous important problems, including the health of the nation.

One has to be insincere and promise something which you cannot fulfill. So you either have to be a fool who does not understand what you are promising, or deliberately be lying.