Quotes from Vladimir Putin

The last time I was in Japan as President of Russia was 11 years ago, if memory serves. I later visited in my capacity as Prime Minister.

Kodokan is, to a large degree, a trendsetter in the sport. This school trained outstanding masters and is a kind of Mecca for all judokas. Certainly, I would be pleased to visit, if time permits.

If we had joined efforts some time ago [with U.S], we could have avoided many problems the world is facing now, I believe.

I would prefer to abandon the terminology of the past. 'Superpower' is something which we used during the cold war time. Why use it now?

Russia is probably one of the first countries to have been confronted with this problem of terrorism. It took some time before the international community realised the danger terrorism poses.

There is something that I have in common with every citizen of Russia, the love for our motherland.

The United States and Russian security services regularly exchange information.

One can truly enjoy his or her life only while experiencing it, and it is inevitably related to a certain level of risk.

The worst thing for a politician is to try and cling to power by every possible means, and focus only on that.

China has created very good investment tools, including an entire network of very large funds. The Russian Private Investment Fund works with some of those funds, with China's largest investment funds.

I spend a little time every day to play sports.

Construction of the first gas pipeline system was started during the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, and for all those years, from the 1960s until this day, Russia has been fulfilling its contract obligations in a very consistent and reliable way, regardless of the political situation.

Our society, including the liberals, must understand that there must be order.

Our military might is the guarantor of Russia's security and independence.

Above all, such sports as judo, in my view, teach people to relate to each other. They teach us to respect a partner, teach us to understand that an externally weak partner can not only put up worthy resistance, but, if you relax and take too much for granted, may even win.

The ability to compromise is not a diplomatic politeness toward a partner but rather taking into account and respecting your partner's legitimate interests.

The leaders of the world's largest economies agreed during the November 2008 G20 summit not to create barriers hindering global trade and capital flows. Russia shares these principles.

Even if states sometimes have problems with each other, arts and sports should not suffer from that. Arts and sports are there to bring the people together - and not to divide them.

We will work with any Administration and with any President in whom the American people have placed their trust. That is, of course, if they wish to cooperate with Russia.

Absolute trust is something hard to achieve even in a family, and it is much harder to achieve on an international level.

You have made a very good point: both the Prime Minister [Shindzo Abe] and I enjoy a fairly high level of trust among the citizens of our countries.

I think every person should have some faith inside him, in his heart. What matters is not an external display of this faith, but the inner state of the soul.

The state security bodies should not be seen as an institution that works against society and the state; one needs to understand what makes them work against their own people.

If there are people who act outside the law, then the state must use legal means to impose law in the interests of majority. That's the way it's done in the U.S., and that's the way it's done in Russia.