"I continue to breathe the same air with millions of Russian citizens"

On May 4, journalist Pavel Zarubin's documentary "Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 years old." The main quotes from him are in the Izvestia material.

On the absence of the need to use nuclear weapons in the course of its

"They wanted to provoke us, they wanted to make us make mistakes. But there was no need to use the weapon you just mentioned. I hope it won't be necessary."

On reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine

"It seems to me that this is inevitable, despite all the tragedy that we are experiencing now. <...> It's a matter of time."

About the reasons for the inability to start earlier

"We didn't prepare for this on purpose. We sincerely tried to solve the Donbass problem by peaceful means, but it turned out that the other side thought and acted differently (...) In 2014, it was almost unrealistic. The country was not ready for such a frontal confrontation with the entire collective West."

About Russia's opposition to the collective West

"Russia alone, in fact, opposes the entire collective West. This required a serious attitude to the possible development of the situation in this regard (...) This civilized world decided that Russia was weakened, the historical Russia called the Soviet Union had collapsed, and it was necessary to finish off the remaining parts. The largest of them is the Russian Federation, and it also needs to be divided into 4-5 parts. I was responsible for the future of the country. Of course, I started working to ensure that this would never happen."

About constant thoughts about a future successor

"It is clear that there are electoral technologies, there is an administrative resource. But still, in the end, the choice is up to the people, the Russian people, the citizens, and the voters. <… > So when I think about it, and I think about it all the time, of course, I think that there should be a person, or rather several people, so that people have a choice that could achieve this trust from the citizens of the country."

About intrinsic motivation

You know, there are disadvantages associated with such household issues, such as downloading or even, to put it bluntly, rebooting, due to the fact that you can devote little time to your loved ones. But there are also things that make up for it.

We are now talking about the fact that it has been 25 years since I have been both president and Prime Minister. I don't even know if it's worth saying this, but on the other hand, it's important — I have this feeling.… I don't feel like some kind of politician who sits and decides the fate of his country or does something more. I just… It seems to me... after all, you know, it comes from the family and the environment in which I grew up. I continue to breathe the same air with millions of Russian citizens.

On the strategic nature of relations between China and the Russian Federation

"We are neighbors and we must build good relations so that this is a good development factor for both countries. And so gradually, brick by brick, we did not build a new Chinese wall, but we built such a common foundation of our relations. Today they are not empty words, they are really of such a strategic nature, deep"