The point is that in any country, including the United States, may be in the United States even more often than in any other country, foreign policy is used for internal political struggle.

This gentleman has taken on the very fashionable theme of fighting corruption and I say again: In order to fight corruption you have to be crystal clear yourself. But there are problems here, and in this regard I unfortunately have a suspicion that this is just a way of getting votes and not a genuine desire to solve the problem.

It is 60 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations, but relations between Japan and Russia have much deeper roots. In all, our diplomatic ties date back 150 years, more than 150 years now.

I hope that being in places from the [Shinzo Abe] Prime Minister's past will motivate us to have a sincere, very practical and, I hope, productive conversation.

Everyone must be equal before the law, abide by it, pay their taxes and bear the punishment should they break the law.

We don't need a weakened government but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole.

Challenging American leadership is not at stake.