I am sure that, after all, any man in my place should set a positive example for other people.

It is a major world power, and today it is an economic and military leader - no doubt about it. That is why America has a strong influence on the situation in the world in general.

The European Union's enlargement is part of the natural process of integration and globalisation that is underway in the world today.

Everything must be organized in the most rational way. The state won't accept excessive prices.

Under our regional cooperation projects, we are building roads and bridges. The scope of regional cooperation [with China] is constantly growing.

Crimea has always been and remains Russian, as well as Ukrainian, Crimean-Tatar, Greek (after all, there are Greeks living there) and German - and it will be home to all of those peoples. As for state affiliation, the people living in Crimea made their choice; it should be treated with respect, and Russia cannot do otherwise. I hope that our neighbouring and distant partners will ultimately treat this the same way, since in this case, the highest criteria used to establish the truth can only be the opinion of the people themselves.

People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves.