VLADIMIR PUTIN Today’s address will be related to the current situation and conditions, as well as the tasks we are facing. But before delivering it I’d like to thank all of you for the support, unity and solidarity you have shown during the landmark events that will seriously influence the future of our country. This…

VLADIMIR PUTIN In response to the terrible tragedy that took place over Donetsk, I want to reiterate Russia’s position with regard to the current situation in Ukraine. We have called repeatedly on all parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed immediately and begin negotiations. I believe that if military operations had not resumed in…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Dear colleagues, In early April we suggested immediate consultations in order to work out a coordinated approach to stabilise the Ukrainian economy and ensure stable deliveries and transit of Russian natural gas in accordance with contractual terms. Over a month has passed. Consultations with the representatives of a number of non-EU countries have…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Dear friends, This is a very joyful and happy day for us! Citizens of Russia, residents of Crimea and Sevastopol! After a long, hard and exhausting voyage, Crimea and Sevastopol are returning to their harbour, to their native shores, to their home port, to Russia! I would like to thank the residents of…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Federation Council members, State Duma deputies, good afternoon. Representatives of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol are here among us, citizens of Russia, residents of Crimea and Sevastopol! Dear friends, we have gathered here today in connection with an issue that is of vital, historic significance to all of us. A referendum was…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Mr Yanukovych, colleagues, I have just had a very detailed discussion of practically all areas of our cooperation with President Yanukovych. Russia and Ukraine are strategic partners not on paper but in actual practice. We share a centuries-old friendship and the bond of having spent a long time living together in a single…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Good afternoon. Once again, let me greet you all here at this site that is sacred for our entire people and country. Here, they have long called this site Russia’s third great battlefield, and the whole country is coming to know this name. Indeed, after Kulikovo field, and after Borodino field, this battlefield…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Good afternoon, friends, Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, I congratulate you on Russia Day. This holiday grows in importance every year. Its meaning, spirit and atmosphere reflect Russia’s development today. It is also a part of our history with all its difficult and sometimes dramatic moments. We all remember how sudden and dramatic the…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Citizens of Russia, Friends, As I take office as President of the Russian Federation, I am aware of my great responsibility before our country. Russia’s interests and the security and prosperity of our people have always been and always will be my utmost priority. I will do everything to justify the trust that…

VLADIMIR PUTIN Thank you very much dear Madam Federal Chancellor, Mr Teltschik, ladies and gentlemen! I am truly grateful to be invited to such a representative conference that has assembled politicians, military officials, entrepreneurs and experts from more than 40 nations. This conference’s structure allows me to avoid excessive politeness and the need to speak…