There used to be the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. There used to be Soviet troops in the GDR. And we must honestly admit that they were occupation troops, which remained in Germany after WWII under the guise of allied troops. Now these occupation troops are gone, the Soviet Union has collapsed, and the Warsaw Pact is no more. There is no Soviet threat, but NATO and U.S. troops are still in Europe. What for?

Though we still come first in the sphere of gas export, national production has diminished due to the increasing volumes of hydrogenation for the electric power industry and therefore there is a lower need for gas at thermal power plants.

As for the President-elect [Donald Trump], he has his own views on things, and this is also fairly natural.

Berlusconi is being tried because he lives with women. If he was homosexual, no one would have lifted a finger against him.

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.

In 2009, US President [Barack] Obama said that the missile defense only serves as protection from Iranian nuclear missiles. But now there is an international treaty with Iran that bans Tehran from developing a potential military nuclear project.

Respect for sovereignty means to not allow unconstitutional action and coup d'états, the removal of legitimate power.