The political elite in Russia don't want domestic reform, they aren't ready for it. As such, they welcome an external threat. You have to remember that Russia rests on two national concepts: defense and sovereignty. We approach the question of security much more reverentially than other countries do.

It scares me when the Europeans demand more and more democracy. It sounds like times past, when people here demanded more and more socialism.

Russian politics was focused for too long on fixing past mistakes - fixing the mistakes made in the 1990s.

Some among the European elite have sought out confrontation with us. As a consequence, we won't help Europe, although we could do so when it comes to the refugee question. A joint closure of borders would be essential. In this regard, the Russians would be 10 times more effective than the Europeans.

I am of the opinion that we shouldn't turn away from Europe. We have to find ways to revitalize our relations.

We want to prevent further destabilization in the world. And we want the status of being a great power: We unfortunately cannot relinquish that. In the last 300 years, this status has become a part of our genetic makeup. We want to be the heart of greater Eurasia, a region of peace and cooperation. The subcontinent of Europe will also belong to this Eurasia.

American politicians have openly said that the sanctions are aimed at bringing about regime change in Russia. That's aggressive enough.