- [at the break-up of his 30-year marriage] Lyudmila Alexandrovna has done her shift.
- Elton John, he's an extraordinary person, a distinguished musician. And millions of our people sincerely love him, regardless of his sexual orientation.
- We do not have a ban on non-traditional sexual relationships. We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia. I want to underline this. Propaganda among children. These are absolutely different things--a ban on something or a ban on the propaganda of that thing.
- We have our own traditions, our own culture. We have respect for all of our international partners and ask that they also respect our own traditions and culture.
- [on homosexuals] We aren't banning anything, we aren't rounding up anyone, we have no criminal punishment for such relations, unlike many other countries. One can feel relaxed and at ease, but please leave the children in peace.
- Russia and European countries have a big problem, the birth rate is low, Europeans are dying out. Same-sex marriages do not produce children.
- [urging President Barack Obama not to bomb Syria, 2013] We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.
- [public statement, March 18, 2014] In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been, and remains, an inseparable part of Russia.. Don't believe those who try to frighten you with Russia, who scream that other regions will follow after Crimea. We do not want a partition of Ukraine. We do not need this.
- If you press a spring too hard, it will recoil.
- [observation 2014 on his defense of Russian interests] The bear is the master of the taiga. It's not going to move to other climate zones. But it's not going to give up the taiga to anyone.
- I want you all to understand: Our country will continue to defend the rights of Russians, of our compatriots abroad, using everything we have in our arsenal.
- [denying a rumor of his disappointment with President Donald Trump] He is not my bride. I am not his bride, nor his groom.
- [on imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear missile programme]There's no other path apart from a peaceful one.
- Russia condemns North Korea's exercises, we consider that they are a provocation but ramping up military hysteria will lead to nothing good. It could lead to a global catastrophe.
- It's ridiculous to put us on the same sanctions list as North Korea and then ask for our help in imposing sanctions on North Korea.
- [on the world becoming more fragmented] During the Cold War, the bad thing was the Cold War. It is true. But there were at least some rules that all participants in international communication more or less adhered to or tried to follow. Now, it seems that there are no rules at all. In this sense, the world has become more fragmented and less predictable, which is the most important and regrettable thing. [July 2019]
- Risk must always be well-justified. But this is not the case when one can use the popular Russian phrase: "He who doesn't take risks, never drinks champagne." This is not the case. Quite possibly, risks are inevitable when one has to make certain decisions. Depending on the scale of any decision, risks can be small or serious. Any decision-making process is accompanied by risk. Before taking one's chances, one has to meticulously assess everything. Therefore, risk based on an assessment of the situation and the possible consequences of the decisions is possible and even inevitable. Foolish risks overlooking the real situation and failing to clearly comprehend the consequences are unacceptable because they can jeopardise the interests of a great number of people. [July 2019]
- [on Donald Trump and globalisation] Mr. Trump is not a career politician. He has a distinct world outlook and vision of US national interests. I do not accept many of his methods when it comes to addressing problems. But do you know what I think? I think that he is a talented person. He knows very well what his voters expect from him. Russia has been accused, and, strange as it may seem, it is still being accused, despite the Mueller report [on the investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign], of mythical interference in the US election. What happened in reality? Mr. Trump looked into his opponents' attitude to him and saw changes in American society, and he took advantage of this. (...) Has anyone ever given a thought to who actually benefited and what benefits were gained from globalisation, the development of which we have been observing and participating in over the past 25 years, since the 1990s? China has made use of globalisation, in particular, to pull millions of Chinese out of poverty. What happened in the US, and how did it happen? In the US, the leading US companies - the companies, their managers, shareholders and partners - made use of these benefits. (...) The middle class in the US has not benefited from globalisation; it was left out when this pie was divided up. The Trump team sensed this very keenly and clearly, and they used this in the election campaign. It is where you should look for reasons behind Trump's victory, rather than in any alleged foreign interference. This is what we should be talking about here, including when it comes to the global economy. I believe this may explain his seemingly extravagant economic decisions and even his relations with his partners and allies. He believes that the distribution of resources and benefits of globalisation in the past decade was unfair to the US. I am not going to discuss whether it was fair or not, and I will not say if what he is doing is right or wrong. I would like to understand his motives, which is what you asked me about. [July 2019]
- [on the Skripal affair] Listen, all this fuss about spies and counterspies, it is not worth serious interstate relations. This spy story, as we say, it is not worth five kopecks. Or even five pounds, for that matter. And the issues concerning interstate relations, they are measured in billions and the fate of millions of people. How can we compare one with the other? The list of accusations and allegations against one another could go on and on. They say, "You poisoned the Skripals." Firstly, this must be proved. Secondly, the average person listens and says, "Who are these Skripals?" And it turns out that [Sergei] Skripal was engaged in espionage against us [Russia]. So this person asks the next question, "Why did you spy on us using Skripal? Maybe you should not have done that?" You know, these questions are infinite. We need to just leave it alone and let security agencies deal with it. [July 2019]
- The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population. Or take the traditional values. I am not trying to insult anyone, because we have been condemned for our alleged homophobia as it is. But we have no problems with LGBT persons. God forbid, let them live as they wish. But some things do appear excessive to us. They claim now that children can play five or six gender roles. I cannot even say exactly what genders these are, I have no notion. Let everyone be happy, we have no problem with that. But this must not be allowed to overshadow the culture, traditions and traditional family values of millions of people making up the core population. [July 2019]
- There is also the so-called liberal idea, which has outlived its purpose. Our Western partners have admitted that some elements of the liberal idea, such as multiculturalism, are no longer tenable. When the migration problem came to a head, many people admitted that the policy of multiculturalism is not effective and that the interests of the core population should be considered. Although those who have run into difficulties because of political problems in their home countries need our assistance as well. That is great, but what about the interests of their own population when the number of migrants heading to Western Europe is not just a handful of people but thousands or hundreds of thousands ? [July 2019]
- [on the 2013 law banning "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships to minors"] It aims to give people an opportunity to reach adulthood and then make a decision about who they are and how they want to live. After that, we have no restrictions. [2019]
- [Liberals] cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades. [July 2019]
- If a fight's editable, you must strike first.
- For us, for Russia, there are no unfriendly, hostile peoples either in the West or in the East. Like the vast majority of people on the planet, we want to see a future of peace, freedom and stability. We believe that any ideology of superiority is inherently disgusting, criminal and deadly. However, the Western globalist elites still talk about their exclusivity, pit people and split societies, provoke bloody conflicts and upheavals, sow hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism, and destroy family, traditional values that make a person a person. And all in order to continue to dictate, to impose on the peoples their will, their rights, rules, and in fact, a system of robbery, violence and suppression. [from May 9th Speech, 2023]
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