How can I be a gangster, if I worked for the KGB? It is absolutely ridiculous. Vladimir Putin More Quotes by Vladimir Putin More Quotes From Vladimir Putin President Obama hasn't been elected by the American people in order to be pleasant to Russia. And your humble servant hasn't been elected by the people of Russia to be pleasant to someone either. We work, we argue about some issues. We are human. Sometimes one of us gets vexed. But I would like to repeat once again that global mutual interests form a good basis for finding a joint solution to our problems. Vladimir Putin russia gay humble You have made a very good point: both the Prime Minister [Shindzo Abe] and I enjoy a fairly high level of trust among the citizens of our countries. Vladimir Putin citizens levels country They say that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a homosexual. Truth be told, we don't love him because of that, but he was a great musician, and we all love his music. So what? I assure you that I work with these people. I sometimes award them with state prizes or decorations for their achievements in various fields. We have absolutely normal relations, and I don't see anything out of the ordinary here. Vladimir Putin tchaikovsky awards gay I am convinced that a multi-faceted dialogue between Russia and Egypt will continue to deepen and expand for the benefit of the peoples of our countries, for the sake of peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa. Vladimir Putin russia peace country One thing is clear, everyone, no matter what their professional or material status, no matter what their influence on various state structures, must obey the law. Vladimir Putin influence matter law How long has it taken the democratic process to develop in the United States? Since it was founded. So, do you think that as regards democracy everything is settled now in America? If this were so, there would be no Ferguson issue, right? There would be no other issues of similar kind, there would be no police abuse. Our goal is to see all these issues and respond to them timely and properly. The same applies to Russia. We also have a lot of problems. Vladimir Putin russia taken thinking After all, despite the scandalous behavior of one and, by the way, the other candidate [they are both , Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, scandalous in their own ways], they are smart, they are really smart and they are aware of the leverages they should use to make the voters in the United States understand them, feel them and hear them. Vladimir Putin united-states smart use 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. Vladimir Putin russia country thinking I am sure that, after all, any man in my place should set a positive example for other people. Vladimir Putin example men people I think Russia has already turned the toughest pages in its history. We're only moving forward now, only get stronger. Vladimir Putin moving-forward moving thinking 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 ukraine russia years Respect for sovereignty means to not allow unconstitutional action and coup d'états, the removal of legitimate power. Vladimir Putin legitimate-power action mean 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 russia strong believe I'm an adult and I know what power means in the modern world. In the modern world, power is mainly defined by such factors as the economy, defence and cultural influence. I believe that in terms of defence, Russia is without any doubt one of the leaders because we are a nuclear power and our nuclear weapons are perhaps the best in the world. Vladimir Putin russia mean believe 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 ukraine population political 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 japan east effort Concerning our possibilities on the international financial markets, the sanctions are severely harming Russia. But the biggest harm is currently caused by the decline of the prices for energy. We suffer dangerous revenue losses in our export of oil and gas, which we can partly compensate for elsewhere. But the whole thing also has a positive side: if you earn so many petrodollars - as we once did - that you can buy anything abroad, this slows down developments in your own country. Vladimir Putin russia loss country 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 political commitment thinking Therefore, I do not think we should go only 60 years back but should look deeper, centuries back. Maybe this will give us [Russia and Japan] an opportunity to look at the future from a more remote perspective. Vladimir Putin russia opportunity thinking Russia must realise its full potential in high-tech sectors such as modern energy technology, transport and communications, space and aircraft building. Vladimir Putin russia communication technology
