We have never meddled in the domestic affairs of any state and we never will.

I do not think I have the right to determine the political future of Syria, be it with or without al-Assad. This is for the Syrians themselves to decide. Nobody has the right to claim the rights that belong to the people of another country.

It is true that the role of the state in the Russian economy may be too big today, but from the fiscal standpoint, it is not always practical to do this in a falling market.

Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things.

Their [the U.S.’s] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as ‘their home — their fortress.’ And good for them, I say. Well done!

Whatever we do, all the knowledge, the experience, they stay with us, we carry them on, use them in one way or another.

If regional associations are created, they should work on the basis of WTO norms, on the WTO basis.