Vladimir Putin Quotes

Vladimir Putin uses energy to hold our allies hostage. If energy is going to be used as a weapon, I say America must have the largest arsenal. ~ Rick Perry

Terrorists are always a threat to someone. If we'll be scared of them, it means they have won. ~ Vladimir Putin

Any minority's right to be different must be respected, but the right of the majority must not be questioned. 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. ~ Vladimir Putin

I read papers, try to watch news programs on television, but, as a rule, recorded. During the day I have no time for that, so I watch something taped. As for the newspapers, I try to get through them every day. Additionally, of course, I look through news bulletins. ~ Vladimir Putin

I think it's fine when the mayor of the biggest city in Russia consults the president. ~ Vladimir Putin

President Obama is in China. Also in China is evil Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. They're both in China at the same time. It's like running into your ex-girlfriend on vacation. ~ David Letterman

Our society, including the liberals, must understand that there must be order. ~ Vladimir Putin

We have created islands, small islands of power, but we have not built a bridge between those islands, .. The center and the territories, regional and local authorities are still competing with each other, competing for power. Those who take advantage of disorder and arbitrary rule are watching their mutually destructive fight. ~ Vladimir Putin

Putin was a former KGB intelligence officer who'd been stationed in East Germany at the Dresden headquarters of the Soviet secret service. Putin has said in interviews that he dreamed as a child of becoming a spy for the communist party in foreign lands, and his time in Dresden exceeded his imagination. Not only was he living out his boyhood fantasy, he and his then-wife also enjoyed the perks of a borderline-European existence. Even in communist East Germany, the standard of living was far more comfortable than life in Russia, and the young Putins were climbing KGB social circles, making influential connections, networking a power base.

The present was bright, and the future looked downright luminous.

Then, the Berlin wall fell, and down with it crashed Putin's world. A few days after the fall, a group of East German protestors gathered at the door of the secret service headquarters building. Putin, fearing the headquarters would be overrun, dialed up a Red Army tank unit stationed nearby to ask for protection. A voice on the other end of the line told him the unit could not do anything without orders from Moscow. And, "Moscow is silent," the man told Putin.

Putin's boyhood dream was dissolving before his eyes, and his country was impotent or unwilling to stop it. Putin despised his government's weakness in the face of threat. It taught him a lesson that would inform his own rule: Power is easily lost when those in power allow it to be tak ~ Matt Szajer

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

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

Terrorism has no nationality or religion. ~ Vladimir Putin

Everyone must hoe his plot daily ... ~ Vladimir Putin

I've lost some weight. I am on that new Obama diet. Every day I let Vladimir Putin eat my lunch. ~ Jay Leno

Russia - having sat across the table from Vladimir Putin, it's pretty clear when you meet him that he has an almost limitless ambition for power. And he's been very good at acquiring it - political power, economic power, military power, territorial power. ~ Carly Fiorina

As commander in chief, I will not speak to Vladimir Putin until we've set up that no-fly zone; until we've gathered our Sunni-Arab allies and begun to deny ISIS territory; until I've called the supreme leader of Iran and told him new deal - new deal. We the United States of America are going to cut off the money flow, which we can do; which we don't need anyone's permission or collaboration to do. ~ Carly Fiorina

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

Let us be frank: provoking military-political instability and other regional conflicts is also a convenient way of deflecting people's attention from mounting social and economic problems. Regrettably, further attempts of this kind cannot be ruled out. ~ Vladimir Putin

Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things. ~ 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

Any people has a right to self-determination, and now in Europe the process of diluting national sovereignty in the framework of a united Europe is more accepted. ~ Vladimir Putin

Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle. ~ Vladimir Putin

In 1995, Russia virtually gave Chechnya de facto statehood and independence even though, de jure, it didn't recognize Chechnya as an independent state. And I would like to emphasize strongly that Russia withdrew all of its troops, we moved the prosecutors, we moved all the police, dismantled all the courts, completely, 100 percent. ~ Vladimir Putin

The breakup of the Soviet Union is a national tragedy on an enormous scale only the elites and nationalists of the republics gained. ~ Vladimir Putin

You can do a lot more with weapons and politeness than just politeness. ~ Vladimir Putin

Russia's Vladimir Putin appeared in public for the first time after a mysterious 10-day absence. Putin said it took him that long to recover from the finale of 'The Bachelor.' ~ Conan O'Brien

I think: the powers like to talk about "freedom" in order to wash the population's brains. ~ Vladimir Putin

We are ready to build large underground gas storages in Turkey, to participate in the privatization of Turkey's gas-distribution networks, to use the existing and participate in the construction of new pipelines in order to supply our energy resources through Turkey to third countries, including in southern Europe ~ Vladimir Putin

We ask that (other countries) do not interfere in our regulation. ~ Vladimir Putin

I think every person should have some faith inside him, in his heart. What matters is not an external display of this faith, but the inner state of the soul. ~ Vladimir Putin

I have always reacted negatively to those who with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others' lives. ~ 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

In the modern world, those who are weak will get unambiguous advice from foreign visitors which way to go and what policy course to pursue. ~ Vladimir Putin

Life would be boring without gossip. ~ Vladimir Putin

I can't believe that OMON [Russia's riot police] would hit a girl. I simply can't imagine it. ~ Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin and Russia. 'When a bear wakes up from hibernation, he doesn't eat a few blueberries and then go back to sleep.' They have their eyes on Eastern Europe, and if NATO is not willing to stand up forcefully to this threat today, it will only become more difficult to do so down the road. ~ Seth Moulton

As the 2018 World Cup Championship in Russia draws to a close, President Trump scores a hat-trick of diplomatic faux pas - first at the NATO summit, then on a UK visit, and finally with a spectacular own goal in Helsinki, thereby handing Vladimir Putin a golden propaganda trophy. For as long as this moron continues to queer the pitch by refusing to be a team player, America's Achilles' heel will go from bad to worse. It's high time somebody on his own side tackled him in his tracks. ~ Alex Morritt

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. ~ Vladimir Putin

When it comes to trade, when it comes to standing up to countries like North Korea, when it comes to standing up to guys like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump is not a conservative. ~ Bret Stephens

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

If you want to become an Islamic radical and have yourself circumcised, I invite you to come to Moscow ... I would recommend that he who does the surgery does it so you'll have nothing growing back afterward. ~ Vladimir Putin

My personal position is that society must keep children safe. ~ 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

Russia has not taken part and is not going to take part in any actions aimed at removing legitimate government. ~ 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

America's development began with a large-scale ethnic cleansing, unprecedented in human history. ~ Vladimir Putin

Hitler wanted to destroy Russia- everyone needs to remember how that ended ~ 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

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

I would sooner want a strong partnership with the United States - even with (US President George W.) Bush, who I think is the worst president in a long, long time. I would sooner want a friendship with Bush than with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. ~ Bernard-Henri Levy

Cromwell is just as much of a bloody dictator as was Stalin. ~ Vladimir Putin

for the existentialists, what generated anxiety was not the godlessness of the world, per se, but rather the freedom to choose between God and godlessness. Though freedom is something we actively seek, the freedom to choose generates anxiety. "When I behold my possibilities," Kierkegaard wrote, "I experience that dread which is the dizziness of freedom, and my choice is made in fear and trembling." Many people try to flee anxiety by fleeing choice. This helps explain the perverse-seeming appeal of authoritarian societies - the certainties of a rigid, choiceless society can be very reassuring - and why times of upheaval so often produce extremist leaders and movements: Hitler in Weimar Germany, Father Coughlin in Depression-era America, or Jean-Marie Le Pen in France and Vladimir Putin in Russia today. But running from anxiety, Kierkegaard believed, was a mistake because anxiety was a "school" that taught people to come to terms with the human condition. ~ Scott Stossel

Revenge for a terror attack is ideal for Putin's model. His propaganda machine will be filled with scenes of crash victims if [Vladimir] Putin sees the need for a larger war to stoke his domestic support again as the Russian economy teeters. ~ Garry Kasparov

I do not know how Vladimir Putin will be esteemed by the future history, but I have no doubt that among his successes and advantages for Russia historians shall absolutely note the fact of his not altering the constitution, for he created a precedent. And afterwards, no matter who might become president, it shall be extremely difficult to alter the constitution exactly on that point. Extremely difficult. ~ Vladimir Posner

The transfer of power is always a test of the constitutional system, a test of its strength. ~ Vladimir Putin

If there are people who act outside the law, then the state must use legal means to impose law in the interests of majority. That's the way it's done in the U.S., and that's the way it's done in Russia. ~ Vladimir Putin

People in Russia say that those who do not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union have no heart, and those that do regret it have no brain. ~ Vladimir Putin

All attempts to appease the Nazis between 1934 and 1939 through various agreements and pacts were morally unacceptable and politically senseless, harmful and dangerous. ~ Vladimir Putin

I believe that the Europeans, first and foremost, the Germans, will also understand me. Let me remind you that in the course of political consultations on the unification of East and West Germany ... some nations that were then and are now Germany's allies did not support the idea of unification. Our nation, however, unequivocally supported the sincere, unstoppable desire of the Germans for national unity. I am confident that you have not forgotten this, and I expect that the citizens of Germany will also support the aspiration of the Russians, of historical Russia, to restore unity. ~ Vladimir Putin

We all accuse Vladimir Putin of Cold War nostalgia, but Washington's elites - politicians and intellectuals - miss the old days as well. They wish for the world in which the United States was utterly dominant over its friends, its foes were to be shunned entirely, and the challenges were stark, moral, and vital. Today's world is messy and complicated. China is one of our biggest trading partners and our looming geopolitical rival. Russia is a surly spoiler, but it has a globalized middle class and has created ties in Europe. ~ Fareed Zakaria

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

The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. The thing is that today, fundamentalists and terrorists are exploiting those centuries-old problems to accomplish their own objectives that have nothing to do whatsoever with the interests of Chechnya. ~ Vladimir Putin

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

It's alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. ~ Vladimir Putin

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

Russian democracy is the power of the Russian people with their own traditions of national self-government, and not the realisation of standards foisted on us from outside. ~ Vladimir Putin

Any attention to them (terrorists) on the part of the media, any double-standard interpretation of their motives and results of their activity means nothing but a political and administrative support of terrorist acts ~ Vladimir Putin

In almost any country, probably in Russia in particular, it's fashionable to criticise people in power. If you come out in support of someone like me, you're going to be accused of trying to ingratiate yourself. ~ Vladimir Putin

I spend a little time every day to play sports. ~ Vladimir Putin

Let us resolve the internal political problems of Russia ourselves ~ Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin shot out of obscurity in 1999 by exploiting growing nostalgia for the USSR, fueled by the disappointment, uncertainty and crisis that brought Yeltsin's reform era to a shuddering halt. Once in power the following year, Putin set about building an authoritarian regime whose control would expand for more than a decade, until soaring corruption on top of another economic downturn - a much smaller one, triggered by the global financial crisis of 2008 - prompted another backlash. ~ Gregory Feifer

It's better not to argue with women, ~ Vladimir Putin

Hard men present hard choices - none more so than Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. ~ Hillary Clinton

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

It could truly be the case that Vladimir Putin has miscalculated in the long term with his adventure in Syria. ~ Garry Kasparov

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president. ~ Vladimir Putin

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

For me the game of love is much like hunting a man on foot with a knife. It's not over until the blade is clean. ~ Vladimir Putin

To forgive the terrorists is up to God, but to send them there is up to me. ~ Vladimir Putin

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. ~ 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

Work is already underway today on creating unique high-precision weapons systems and manoeuvrable combat units that will have an unpredictable flight trajectory for the potential opponent. Along with the means for overcoming anti-missile defences that we already have, these new types of arms will enable us to maintain what is definitely one of the most important guarantees of lasting peace, namely, the strategic balance of forces. ~ 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

When the Obama administration announced its 'reset' of relations with Russia in 2009, Americans never expected that it would include making Vladimir Putin the de facto U.S. ambassador to Syria in 2013. ~ John Barrasso

Please, accept the most sincere words of sympathy over the natural disaster that affected the United States . I know that hurricane Katrina that hit the US south-western coast led to casualties, left homeless dozens of thousands of US citizens and inflicted a strong damage to the economy of this region. I ask you to convey my condolences to the next of kin of those killed,. ~ Vladimir Putin

South Korea's investment in Russia has not been smooth, ... Korea had planned to carry out 126 investment projects worth 273 million, but in reality, only 91 projects worth 137 million are under way. ~ Vladimir Putin

Mr. McCain fought in Vietnam. I think that he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore. Mr. McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone would go nuts. ~ 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

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

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

Even if states sometimes have problems with each other, arts and sports should not suffer from that. Arts and sports are there to bring the people together - and not to divide them. ~ Vladimir Putin

The Russian people have their own cultural code, their own tradition. ~ Vladimir Putin

Our military might is the guarantor of Russia's security and independence. ~ Vladimir Putin

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. ~ 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

The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing. ~ Vladimir Putin

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

One evening, we were sitting in his apartment, and he says, 'Little friend, by now you know what I'm like. I am basically not a very convenient person.' And then he went on to describe himself: not a talker, can be pretty harsh, can hurt your feelings, and so on. Not a good person to spend your life with. And he goes on. 'Over the course of three and a half years you've probably made up your mind.' I realized we were probably breaking up. So I said, 'Well, yes, I've made up my mind.' And he said, with doubt in his voice, 'Really?' That's when I knew we were definitely breaking up. 'In that case,' he said, "I love you and I propose we get married on such and such a day.' And that was completely unexpected. ~ Masha Gessen

Some Western politicians are already threatening us with not just sanctions, but also the prospect of increasingly serious problems on the domestic front. I would like to know what it is they have in mind exactly: action by a fifth column, this disparate bunch of 'national traitors', or are they hoping to put us in a worsening social and economic situation so as to provoke public discontent? We consider such statements irresponsible and clearly aggressive in tone, and we will respond to them accordingly. ~ Vladimir Putin

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