110+ Vladimir Putin Quotes: Insights from a Resilient Leader on Politics and Power

Vladimir Putin is a Russian statesman who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 2000 until 2008. He was Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 until 2000, and again from 2008 until 2012. Putin has also served as Chairman of United Russia, the ruling political party, since 2012. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Vladimir Putin on power, war, democracy.

Top 10 Vladimir Putin Quotes

1. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.
2. It's better to be hanged for loyalty than be rewarded for betrayal.
3. You can do a lot more with weapons and politeness than just politeness.
4. There is no such thing as a former KGB man.
5. Nobody should have any illusion about the possibility of gaining military superiority over Russia. We will never allow this to happen.
6. The strengthening of our statehood is, at times, deliberately interpreted as authoritarianism.
7. Even if we do not always agree on every aspect, nobody should take this as an excuse to declare us as enemies.
8. Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation.
9. Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted.
10. You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place.

Vladimir Putin Short Quotes

• I have several portraits of Jigoro Kano and a bust too, a very beautiful one.
• A happy love needs to be reciprocated.
• How can I be a gangster, if I worked for the KGB? It is absolutely ridiculous.
• 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.
• Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle.
• We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.
• I think Elon Musk is a smart person, I truly believe he is. There's no stopping Elon Musk.
• You know every stage of your life has an impact on you.
• President al-Assad and his army are the only force that actually fights ISIS.

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Power

Love for one's motherland is one of the most powerful and uplifting feelings. It manifested itself in full in the brotherly support to the people of Crimea and Sevastopol, when they resolutely decided to return home, this event will remain a very important epoch in domestic history forever. — Vladimir Putin

Respect for sovereignty means to not allow unconstitutional action and coup d'états, the removal of legitimate power. — Vladimir Putin

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used, not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. — Vladimir Putin

One must not allow oneself to skid down to isolationism and unbridled economic egoism. ... The second possible mistake would be excessive interference into the economic life of the country. And the absolute faith into the all-mightiness of the state. — Vladimir Putin

Frankly speaking, we all know that provoking military and political instability, regional, and other conflicts is a helpful means of distracting the public from growing domestic social and economic problems in certain countries. Such attempts cannot be ruled out, unfortunately. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism. — Vladimir Putin

Today, it is imperative to end this hysteria, to refute the rhetoric of the Cold War and to accept the obvious fact: Russia is an independent, active participant in international affairs. Like other countries, it has its own national interests that need to be taken into account and respected. — Vladimir Putin

Though we still come first in the sphere of gas export, national production has diminished due to the increasing volumes of hydrogenation for the electric power industry and therefore there is a lower need for gas at thermal power plants. — Vladimir Putin

I believe that the 21st century economy is an economy of people, not of factories. The intellectual factor has become increasingly important in the economy, which is why we are planning to focus on providing additional opportunities for people to realise their potential. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About War

If America stops sending weapons to Ukraine, the war would be over in 2 weeks. — Vladimir Putin

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

The Cold War is over. The world has become much more complicated. — Vladimir Putin

My family suffered very major losses during the Second World War, that's true. In my father's family, there were five brothers. I think four of them died. On my mother's side the picture was pretty much the same. Russia has suffered great losses. And of course we can't forget that. — Vladimir Putin

Even during the years of the Cold War, the intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States, we always avoided any direct clash between our civilians and, most certainly, between our military. — Vladimir Putin

The fact is that there was a long war in which Serbia and its capital Belgrade were bombarded and attacked with missiles. It was a military intervention of the West and NATO against the then rump Yugoslavia. — Vladimir Putin

If someone is willing to reconsider the results of World War II, let us discuss this. But then we will have to discuss not only Kaliningrad, but also the eastern lands of Germany, the city of Lvov, a former part of Poland, and so on, and so forth. There are also Hungary and Romania on the list. — Vladimir Putin

I would prefer to abandon the terminology of the past. 'Superpower' is something which we used during the cold war time. Why use it now? — Vladimir Putin

The US tactical nuclear weapons are in Europe, let us not forget this. Does it mean that the US has occupied Germany or that the US never stopped the occupation after World War II and only transformed the occupation troops into the NATO forces? — Vladimir Putin

Syria is already in the grips of a civil war, unfortunately enough, and Egypt is moving in that direction. We would like to see the Egyptian people avoid this fate. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Democracy

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

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

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

Democracy is not possible without effectively working legal system. — Vladimir Putin

I think that rather than talking about particular models, of which there could be a huge number, we should talk about basic principles of democracy. After all, even within the West, there is no single standard and single model. — Vladimir Putin

Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan, 'You're either with us or against us.' — Vladimir Putin

There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. — Vladimir Putin

In the referendum - which was still decided to take place by the Crimea's old parliament - the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people's will. — Vladimir Putin

Look, there is parliamentary democracy in most European countries, there is parliamentary democracy in Japan, there is parliamentary democracy in many countries, but in the United States, for some reason, the State is organized differently, there is quite a stringent presidential republic. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Leadership

I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia - I believe that is my greatest wealth. — Vladimir Putin

Challenging American leadership is not at stake. — Vladimir Putin

I hope that the responsible figures in the Ukrainian leadership will not hinder soldiers in the Ukrainian army from putting down their weapons. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Russia

There is something that I have in common with every citizen of Russia, the love for our motherland. — Vladimir Putin

Economic activity is moving from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean... Russia has a certain natural advantage because it also borders the Pacific Ocean. — Vladimir Putin

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

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

As for the criticism we receive, you know, even Mr. [Donald] Trump's team criticize us. For instance, one of the participants or members of his team claimed that Russia was giving money to the Clintons through some funds and that in fact Russia is controlling the Clinton family. This is nonsense. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

The most obvious risk was that the Russian speaking population was threatened and that the threats were absolutely specific and tangible. This is what made Crimean residents, the people who live there, think about their future and ask Russia for help. This is what guided our decision. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

Above all, we should acknowledge that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century. As for the Russian nation, it became a genuine drama. Tens of millions of our co-citizens and co-patriots found themselves outside Russian territory. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Ukraine

Russia had to take the necessary measures in order to prevent the situation in Crimea unfolding the way it is now unfolding in southeastern Ukraine. We didn't want any tanks, any nationalist combat units or people with extreme views armed with automatic weapons. — Vladimir Putin

First, the constitution [of Ukraine] has to be reformed. Only then can confidence building and border security follow. — Vladimir Putin

There are no Russian units in eastern Ukraine - no special services, no tactical advisors. All this is being done by the local residents, and the proof of that is the fact that those people have literally removed their masks. — Vladimir Putin

The constitutional reform is supposed to give autonomy to eastern Ukraine and to be adopted by the end of 2015. This has not happened, and the year is over. That's not Russia's fault. — Vladimir Putin

I would like to assure you that there is no organization or any sort of repression against people who don’t agree with our actions, for example in Ukraine, Crimea, or any other external issue, no one from official government organs do this. — Vladimir Putin

Kiev's attempts to exert economic pressure on Donbas (region of east Ukraine) and disrupt its daily life only aggravates the situation. This is a dead-end track, fraught with a big catastrophe. — Vladimir Putin

There are complicated processes going on in society in the Crimea. There are problems of the Crimean Tatars, the Ukrainian population, the Russian population, the Slavic population in general, but this is Ukraine's domestic political problem. — Vladimir Putin

Nothing matters for a drastic change in Ukraine more than political transformations. — Vladimir Putin

Ukraine is going through a difficult time. There is nothing extraordinary of the resignation of the Ukrainian government ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections — Vladimir Putin

Ukraine is the closest country to us. We have always said that Ukraine is our sister country and it is true. It is not just a Slavic people, it is the closest people to Russia: we have similar languages, culture, common history, religion etc. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About China

We have every reason to say, and I note this with great satisfaction, that a truly friendly relationship has evolved with China, and in many key areas these relations, without any exaggeration, have a strategic character. As we say, the strategic character of privileged partnership. — Vladimir Putin

We have wide-ranging joint projects in the nuclear energy sphere, logistics, machine building and trade as a whole [with China]. — Vladimir Putin

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

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]. — Vladimir Putin

The sanctions have nothing to do with our relations with China, because our relations with the People's Republic of China are at an unprecedented high both in terms of their level and substance. They are what we call "a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation". — Vladimir Putin

The level of our political trust [with China] is also very high. We have similar positions on major international issues or even, as diplomats say, our views are identical. We often have shared positions on key issues of the modern international agenda. — Vladimir Putin

If there were any in China and Russia in this connection, though we both made some compromises. But these were compromises between friendly countries. I think it is almost impossible to achieve such compromise in other ways. — Vladimir Putin

We conducted talks on border issues with our friends in the People's Republic of China for 40 years. There were also issues related to specific territories. — Vladimir Putin

After all, China is our largest trading partner. As I said, country-wise, Russia trades the most with China. That is my first point. — Vladimir Putin

Russia and China also cooperate in mechanical engineering, high-speed railway transportation, lumber processing, nuclear energy production and so on. We have built the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant. Two units are already operational and are showing good results. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About United States

There is absolutely no point in NATO. Its only purpose is to serve as a tool of US foreign policy. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

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

This is the political culture of the United States, which one should accept as is. The United States is a great country and it deserves non-interference and no third-party comments. — Vladimir Putin

[Economic restrictions] is one of the elements that is destabilising the world economic order that was at one time created largely by the United States itself at the dawn of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that was later transformed into the World Trade Organisation. — Vladimir Putin

No one except for al-Assad's army is fighting against ISIS or other terrorist organisations in Syria, no one else is fighting them on Syrian territory. Minor airstrikes, including those by the United States aircraft, do not resolve the issue in essence; in fact, they do not resolve it at all. — Vladimir Putin

This is not only a matter of relations between Russia and the United States. In my view, any restrictions in the economic sphere that are dictated by considerations of political expediency are extremely harmful for the world economy as a whole. This destroys unity and the rules of the game. — Vladimir Putin

Europe and the United States are not the whole world. — Vladimir Putin

There are many other areas. And I am confident that each of them is of interest to both the people of the United States of America and the Russian people. — Vladimir Putin

I do not think I am entitled to assess the President of the United States. This is up to the American people. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Strong

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. — Vladimir Putin

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

We have issued financial instruments in the past, and there is a strong demand for them, it is simply unnecessary now. — Vladimir Putin

It is a major world power, and today it is an economic and military leader - no doubt about it. That is why America has a strong influence on the situation in the world in general. — Vladimir Putin

Our task was not to conduct a full-fledged military operation there [in Crimea], but it was to ensure people's safety and security and a comfortable environment to express their will. We did that. But it would not have been possible without the Crimeans' own strong resolution. — Vladimir Putin

At last, Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state - a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself. — Vladimir Putin

I believe the U.S. already understands and will understand more and more that only a strong Russia will respond to the genuine interests of the United States. — Vladimir Putin

Only a developed society, for example, only a strong democratic system in modern conditions can create a climate in which any manifestation of terrorism is unacceptable and can also make the state itself stronger. — Vladimir Putin

It's better not to argue with women... When people push boundaries too far, it's not because they are strong but because they are weak. But maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman. — Vladimir Putin

I keep [portraits of Jigoro Kano and a bust] at home, in my residence, where I live permanently. It's a very good, high-quality work by a Russian sculptor, depicting not just a strong-willed but also thoughtful and kind man. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About People

It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. — Vladimir Putin

It's a historical phenomenon that in 250 years, a nation could move from a colony into the most prosperous nation of the world and the leader of the world. It is indeed an achievement, a tribute to the talent of the American nation, the American people and an optimal political and economic system. — Vladimir Putin

I'm asking : if the Kosovars have the right to self-determination, why should people on Crimea not have it? I would say: everyone should comply with uniform international rules and not want to change them any time one feels like it. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

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

Without the values at the core of Christianity and other world religions, without moral norms that have been shaped over millennia, people will inevitably lose their human dignity. One must respect every minority’s right to be different, but the rights of the majority must not be put into question. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

We all want at renewal of our dialogue and restoration of our relations with Turkey in the interests of Russian and Turkish peoples. — Vladimir Putin

People in the eastern regions [of Ukaraine] are talking about federalisation, and Kiev has at long last started talking about de-centralisation. Order in the country can only be restored through dialogue and democratic procedures, rather than with the use of armed force, tanks and aircraft. — Vladimir Putin

I think the American people should express their preferences, and we'll accept their choice. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About World

We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today's complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. — Vladimir Putin

Terrorism has once again shown it is prepared deliberately to stop at nothing in creating human victims. An end must be put to this. As never before, it is vital to unite forces of the entire world community against terror. — Vladimir Putin

I think that a person cannot be criminally or otherwise prosecuted, his or her rights cannot be infringed upon the grounds of nationality, ethnicity or sexual orientation in the modern world. It is absolutely unacceptable. And it is not the case in Russia. — Vladimir Putin

The European Union's enlargement is part of the natural process of integration and globalisation that is underway in the world today. — Vladimir Putin

International terrorists who pursue completely mad objectives such as establishing a world caliphate or something of the sort, are quite adept at disguising their real aims as a struggle for independence in Chechnya. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

If the world economy is divided into isolated economic blocs of this kind, it will be rather difficult to achieve the same interpretation and application of international rules of economic activity and world trade. — Vladimir Putin

Where in the world have you seen construction people who do everything on time, with good quality and at minimal prices? Just give me one country like that. A country like that doesn't exist in the world, you know. There's not one such country anywhere in the world. — Vladimir Putin

Why does the world dislike Russia? I do not think that we are unloved or considered to be ignorant. — Vladimir Putin

If one looks at the map of the world, it's difficult to find Iraq, and one would think it rather easy to subdue such a small country. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About Russian

I am the president of 146 million Russians. I have to represent their interests. We are willing to settle this without any conflicts and to search for compromises on the basis of international law. — Vladimir Putin

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

It is not what your supporters, friends or your political adversaries call you that matters. What is important is what you think you must do in the interests of the country, which put you in such position, such post as the Head of the Russian State. — Vladimir Putin

I have to say that oil and gas revenues make up a large part of the Russian budget revenue. This is a serious component for us in addressing economic development, budget funding for our development programmes and, of course, and meeting of our social commitments to our citizens. — Vladimir Putin

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? — Vladimir Putin

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

I love the Russian classics very much, the Russian classical literature. But I also read modern literature. As far as Russian literature is concerned, I am very fond of Tolstoy and Chekhov, and I also enjoy reading Gogol very much. — Vladimir Putin

However, personally, I see this as not having the right to abuse this trust [among the citizens of Russia and Japan], and any decision we reach should correspond to the national interests of the Russian Federation. — Vladimir Putin

Easter celebrations are evidence of the increased benign influence of the Russian Orthodox Church and other traditional churches in our country on society. — Vladimir Putin

The democratic choice Russian people made in the early 90's is final. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Quotes About United

All civilised countries should unite in the fight against international terrorism. — Vladimir Putin

This terrible tragedy.... the entire international community should unite in the struggle against terrorism this is a blatant challenge to humanity. — Vladimir Putin

It is clear that the international community has no other universal organisation of the likes of the United Nations. — Vladimir Putin

I think the international community should unite to fight such inhuman phenomena as terror attacks and the murder of totally innocent people. — Vladimir Putin

As far as I understand, the president-elect of the United States [Donald Trump] is ready for such joint work. We do not know yet what it will be like in actual practice. We have to wait for him to take office and form his administration. — Vladimir Putin

If the United Kingdom considers it necessary to start a dialogue on certain issues, we are ready for that, we are not going to pout or sulk. We take quite a pragmatic approach towards cooperation with our partners and we believe that it would be beneficial for both our countries. — Vladimir Putin

No doubt, the United States and the American people are a gear country and a great people. Nobody disputes this, but talking about exceptionalism is way too much, and this is creating certain problems in relations, and not only with Russia, as I see it. — Vladimir Putin

I assume that our colleagues from both the United States and the European Union will proceed from current humanitarian law and ensure political freedoms and rights of all people, including those who are living in the territory of Baltic states after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. — Vladimir Putin

60 percent of Syria is controlled either by ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra or other terrorist organisations, organisations that have been recognised as terrorist by the United States, as well as other countries and the UN. It is them and not anyone else who have control over 60 percent of Syrian territory. — Vladimir Putin

Of course one always has to follow international law. This was also the case in Crimea. According to the Charter of the United Nations, every people has the right to self-determination. — Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Famous Quotes And Sayings

If you are a Christian, you are in danger. If you decided to abandon your faith and become an atheist, you also are to be liquidated according to their concept. You are in danger if you decide to become a Muslim. It is not going to save you anyway because they believe traditional Islam is hostile to their goals. — Vladimir Putin

They are constantly trying to drive us into a corner because we have an independent position, because we maintain it and because we tell it like it is and don't engage in hypocrisy. But there is a limit to everything. And with Ukraine, our Western partners have crossed the line, playing the bear and acting irresponsibly and unprofessionally. — Vladimir Putin

I've repeatedly seen the anti-Russian card played during domestic political campaigns in the States. I think that it's a very short-sighted approach. It seems to me that it doesn't fully meet the level of responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the U.S. I think that all this should be more dignified, calm and more balanced. — Vladimir Putin

Personally, I think that children should be left alone, they should be given an opportunity to grow up, to become aware of themselves and decide themselves who they are: men or women, if they want to have a traditional or homosexual marriage. — Vladimir Putin

Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains. — Vladimir Putin

As a rule, [populism] is done for the sake of political expediency by those who do not care about the consequences, who do not think even one step ahead, who do not want to think and do not intend to honour their commitments. — Vladimir Putin

To use the dollar as a tool of foreign policy struggle is one of the biggest strategic mistakes made by the U.S political leadership. It is a stupid mistake. Does anyone in the United States realize this? What are you doing? You are cutting yourself off. Even the United States allies are now downsizing their dollar reserves. — Vladimir Putin

All people here have political rights, social rights, rights to employment, and no one should face discrimination, but our strategic choice is for traditional families, healthy families and a healthy nation. One does not exclude the other and does not hinder the other. I think this is a balanced approach and is entirely the right approach. — Vladimir Putin

Indeed, Russia and the U.S. were allies during the two tragic conflicts of the Second and the First World Wars, which allows us to think there's something objectively bringing us together in difficult times, and I think - I believe - it has to do with geopolitical interests and also has a moral component. — Vladimir Putin

I was brought up in a very ordinary family, in fact, a worker's family. Both my father and mother were ordinary citizens. — Vladimir Putin

Do the United States need this? What for? Thousands of miles away from your national territory. Don’t you have anything better to do? You have issues on the border. Issues with migration. Issues with the national debt. More than 33 trillion dollars. You have nothing better to do, so you should fight with Ukraine? Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate with Russia? — Vladimir Putin

History proves that all dictatorships, all authoritarian forms of government are transient. Only democratic systems are not transient. Whatever the shortcomings, mankind has not devised anything superior. — Vladimir Putin

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

Terrorists are always a threat to someone. If we'll be scared of them, it means they have won. But that doesn't mean we can have a devil-may-care attitude toward this threat. We must do everything to stop these threats and not give the terrorists a single chance to demonstrate their brutality and hatred of mankind. — Vladimir Putin

I am convinced that international terrorism gave itself the goal of not allowing the re-election of Bush. The statement by bin Laden in the final stages of the pre-election campaign is the best confirmation of this. — Vladimir Putin

Why did Finland join NATO? It was senseless. We didn’t have troops there, nor systems of destruction - but now we will. — Vladimir Putin

However, it was not us who refused to freeze oil production; our Saudi partners changed their point of view at the last moment and decided to slow down the adoption of this decision. I would like to reiterate our position, it remains the same. — Vladimir Putin

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. — Vladimir Putin

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

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

It is no accident that I mention our American friends, as they are always influencing our relations with our neighbors either directly or behind the scenes. Sometimes you don't even know who to talk to - the governments of certain countries or directly to their American patrons. — Vladimir Putin

Anything that is missing in the implementation of the Minsk Agreement is - without any exception - up to the Kiev central government of Ukraine. You cannot demand something of Moscow that, in fact, the rulers in Kiev have to deliver. The most important aspect is the constitutional reform, Point 11 of the Minsk Agreement. — Vladimir Putin

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

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

There is no other way to settle the Syrian conflict other than by strengthening the existing legitimate government agencies, support them in their fight against terrorism and, of course, at the same time encourage them to start a positive dialogue with the "healthy" part of the opposition and launch political transformations. — Vladimir Putin

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

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. — Vladimir Putin

We do believe the current Ukrainian authorities are illegitimate. They cannot be legitimate as they do not have a national mandate for running the country, which speaks for itself. At the same time, we do not refuse to deal with them. We stay in touch at the ministerial level. — Vladimir Putin

It is well known that homosexuality is a criminal offense in the United States, in four US states. If it is good or bad, we know the decision of the Constitutional Court, but this problem has not been dealt with yet, it is still being addressed by the legislation of the United States. This is not the case in Russia. — Vladimir Putin

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

Just take Kosovo: back then, UN bodies decided that Kosovo should become independent of Serbia and that the interests of Serbia's central government had to be subordinated. You can read that in all the records, also in the German ones. — Vladimir Putin

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

Our aims are absolutely clear: They are a high living standard in the country and a secure, free and comfortable life. — Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump is a brilliant and talented person, without a doubt. — Vladimir Putin

If we do it, if we work to achieve all this [cultural exchange with Japan], we can and should talk about joint efforts toward ensuring international security, and not only in the Far East. — Vladimir Putin

I am in regular contact with Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe. We have met several times this year [2016]. — Vladimir Putin

Russia does not have in its possession any trustworthy data that supports the existence of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we have not received any such information from our partners as yet. — Vladimir Putin

I believe that a country, Russia in this case, which can defend the honour and dignity of its citizens, protect their lives, and fulfill its international legal commitments under the peacekeeping mandate, will not find itself in isolation, no matter what our partners in Europe or the United States may think, expressing their bloc mentality. — Vladimir Putin

Life Lessons by Vladimir Putin

1. Vladimir Putin has taught us the importance of resilience and perseverance, as he has overcome many challenges to become one of the most influential leaders in the world.
2. He has also demonstrated the power of diplomacy, as he has managed to maintain strong relations with many countries despite difficult circumstances.
3. Finally, he has shown us the importance of having a clear vision and staying focused on achieving your goals, no matter how difficult they may be.