Some countries have a parliamentary republic, some are presidential republics and some are still monarchies, but no one sees them as not being democratic. In some countries regional leaders are appointed from the centre and in others they are elected. In Russia, the president is elected through direct secret ballot, and in the United States, the president is elected through a system of electoral colleges.
Vladimir PutinPresident Obama and I can meet, shake hands and discuss current issues, we - and I am personally - are always ready for such contacts.
Vladimir PutinOver the course of the year 1990, the then Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher had many conversations with President [Mikhail] Gorbachev and other Soviet officials.
Vladimir PutinOf course Germany's media are heavily influenced by the country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Vladimir Putin