170 Best Vladimir Putin Quotes You Should Read

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President since 2012 and previously from 1999-2008, has a background as a KGB officer and political career in Saint Petersburg.

Putin’s initial presidential tenure saw economic growth due to oil and gas price increases, foreign investment and sound fiscal policies.

Following Boris Yeltsin’s unexpected resignation in 1999, Putin became Acting President, initiating a period of reconstruction and wrestling power from the oligarchs.

Vladimir Putin

Despite constitutional limitations preventing a third consecutive term, Putin maintained his political dominance as Prime Minister and later returned to the presidency in 2012 amid controversy.

His 2014 annexation of Crimea signaled a shift in foreign policy, seen as an attempt to recreate the Soviet Union.

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted international sanctions, leading Putin to place Russian nuclear units on high alert.

I have outlined the top quotes by Vladimir Putin.


Best Vladimir Putin Quotes

Best Vladimir Putin Quotes

Spying has always gone on since ancient times. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I think it’s fine when the mayor of the biggest city in Russia consults the president. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I have a private life in which I do not permit interference. It must be respected. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I spend a little time every day to play sports. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Russian parliament has condemned the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia and China are very natural partners. We are neighbors with an immense common border. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Eurasian union is a project meant to preserve the identities of nations and the historic Eurasian community in the new century, in a new world. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The growing economic potential of India and Russia is mutually complementary in many respects. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Thieves must sit in prison. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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

We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Some experts believe that somebody is deceiving WikiLeaks, that its reputation is being undermined in order for it to be used for political purposes. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms. ~ Vladimir Putin.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used, not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. ~ Vladimir Putin.

There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between India and Russia signed in October 2000 became a truly historic step. The developments in the first decade of the 21 century confirmed that it was a particularly significant and timely step. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism. ~ Vladimir Putin.

There is no happiness in life, there is only a mirage on the horizon, so cherish that. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Politics should not interfere with sports. And sports should impact politics. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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

I think happiness is love. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Between major countries, there certainly always are some common ground and points of tension. ~ Vladimir Putin.

We don’t need a weakened government but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Top Vladimir Putin Quotes

I am never guided by a possible assessment of my work. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Few people understand the magnitude of the catastrophe that happened late in the 1980s when the Communist Party had failed to modernize the Soviet Union. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Sometimes it is necessary to be lonely in order to prove that you are right. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I love the Russian classics very much, the Russian classical literature. But I also read modern literature. As far as Russian literature is concerned, I am very fond of Tolstoy and Chekhov, and I also enjoy reading Gogol very much. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Despite all the achievements of civilization, the human being is still one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I am convinced that the norm in Russia should become a family with three children. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president. ~ Vladimir Putin.

At a certain point, we saw the police cracking down on the Occupy Wall Street activists. I won’t call the actions of police appropriate or inappropriate. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I see that not everyone in the West has understood that the Soviet Union has disappeared from the political map of the world and that a new country has emerged with new humanist and ideological principles at the foundation of its existence. ~ Vladimir Putin.

A bear won’t ask for permission. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The strengthening of our statehood is, at times, deliberately interpreted as authoritarianism. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia does not want confrontation of any kind. And we will not take part in any kind of ‘holy alliance.’ ~ Vladimir Putin

U.S. society doesn’t want to play the role of international policeman. ~ Vladimir Putin.

History proves that all dictatorships, all authoritarian forms of government are transient. Only democratic systems are not transient. Whatever the shortcomings, mankind has not devised anything superior. ~ Vladimir Putin.

NATO was built to counteract the Soviet Union in its day and time. At this point there is no threat coming from the Soviet Union, because there is no Soviet Union anymore. And where there was the Soviet Union once, there is now a number of countries, among them the new and democratic Russia. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia is opposed to the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, including nuclear weapons, and in this context we call upon our Iranian friends to abandon the uranium enrichment programme. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Haha come fight us now Napoleon. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I go to the gym, I swim daily and from time to time I meet with friends and do extra-curricular stuff. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In line with international law, only the U.N. Security Council could sanction the use of force against a sovereign state. Any other pretext or method which might be used to justify the use of force against an independent sovereign state are inadmissible and can only be interpreted as an aggression. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I myself know some people who are gay. We’re on friendly terms. I’m not prejudiced in any way. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Even during the years of the Cold War, the intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States, we always avoided any direct clash between our civilians and, most certainly, between our military. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Terrorism has once again shown it is prepared deliberately to stop at nothing in creating human victims. An end must be put to this. As never before, it is vital to unite forces of the entire world community against terror. ~ Vladimir Putin.

My notion of the KGB came from romantic spy stories. I was a pure and utterly successful product of Soviet patriotic education. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I was brought up in a very ordinary family, in fact, a worker’s family. Both my father and mother were ordinary citizens. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I have always reacted negatively to those who with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others’ lives. ~ Vladimir Putin.

My personal position is that society must keep children safe. ~ Vladimir Putin.

We’re no longer in the Cold War. Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable. ~ Vladimir Putin.

For Russia, there is not and there may not be another political option but democracy. However, Russian democracy is… not at all the realization of standards imposed on us from outside. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I swim almost every day, a thousand meters. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In almost any country, probably in Russia in particular, it’s fashionable to criticize people in power. If you come out in support of someone like me, you’re going to be accused of trying to ingratiate yourself. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Top Vladimir Putin Quotes

Terrorism has no nationality or religion. ~ Vladimir Putin.

If you aspire to be a leader of your own country, you must speak your own language, for God’s sake. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Libya is divided into tribes and clans. ~ Vladimir Putin.

No references to the need to fight terror can be an argument for restricting human rights. ~ Vladimir Putin.

What is a Rechtsstaat? It is obedience to the existing law. ~ Vladimir Putin.

At last, Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state – a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Our aims are absolutely clear: They are a high living standard in the country and a secure, free and comfortable life. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Where is the money, Zina? ~ Vladimir Putin.

We should not just consume hydrocarbon fuel but use it to develop nuclear energy, hydro power and renewable energy sources. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Demographers affirm that choosing to have a second child is already a potential choice in favor of a third. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia does not have in its possession any trustworthy data that supports the existence of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we have not received any such information from our partners as yet. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Famous Vladimir Putin Quotes

Chechnya is part and parcel of the Russian Federation. ~ Vladimir Putin.

You can take your complaint to the International League of Sexual Reform. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The more intermediaries there are, the more problems there are. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I think the American people should express their preferences, and we’ll accept their choice. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Stalin is the most popular figure in all of Russia. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I think we should not control the Internet. ~ Vladimir Putin.

A figure who receives money from abroad for his political work, and thus serves some foreign interest, cannot be a politician in Russia. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It is wrong to make anyone into an enemy; it is wrong to scare the people of one’s own country with that enemy and try to rally some allies on that basis. ~ Vladimir Putin.

As far as oligarchs who acquire sports team abroad, and invest money abroad, I wouldn’t treat this phenomenon as something bad. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I believe that the presidential term should be limited. ~ Vladimir Putin.

To pay more is the easy way. In fact, the solution possibilities to the problem are many. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Russian people and Russian culture are the linchpin, the glue that binds together this unique civilization. ~ Vladimir Putin.

To forgive the terrorists is up to God, but to send them to him is up to me. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Nobody should have any illusion about the possibility of gaining military superiority over Russia. We will never allow this to happen. ~ Vladimir Putin.

China is a great country with a great culture, populated by fascinating, industrious and talented people. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It’s better to be hanged for loyalty than be rewarded for betrayal. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Great Vladimir Putin Quotes

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia – I believe that is my greatest wealth. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I’m eternally grateful to fate and the citizens of Russia that they’ve trusted me to be the head of the Russian government. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Popular Vladimir Putin Quotes

Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan, ‘You’re either with us or against us.’ ~ Vladimir Putin.

When the States already had nuclear weapons, and the Soviet Union was only building them, we got a significant amount of information through Soviet foreign intelligence channels. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Political activities in Russia should be as transparent as possible. Financing political activities from abroad is something the state should keep an eye on. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Terrorists are always a threat to someone. If we’ll be scared of them, it means they have won. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Anyone who doesn’t regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The path towards a free society has not been simple. There are tragic and glorious pages in our history. ~ Vladimir Putin.

If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don’t care about a person’s sexual orientation. ~ Vladimir Putin.

At least in Russia, you cannot just go and tap into someone’s phone conversation without a warrant issued by court. That’s more or less the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism. ~ Vladimir Putin.

There are both things in international law: the principle of territorial integrity and right to self-determination. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Europeans are really dying out! ~ Vladimir Putin.

You can swim any way you like in the Dead Sea, actually. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russia does not and cannot have any political choice but democracy. I want to say, and even stress, that we share those universal democratic principles taken around the whole world. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The centuries-old history and culture of India, majestic architectural monuments and museums of Delhi, Agra and Mumbai have a unique attractive force. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Yo what up BOYZZZZ. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I am not prejudiced in any way. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The point of conservatism is not that it prevents movement forward and upward, but that it prevents movement backward and downward, into chaotic darkness and a return to a primitive state. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Stalinism is linked with a cult of personality and massive violations of the law, with repression and camps. There is nothing like that in Russia and, I hope, will never again be. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The United States and Russian security services regularly exchange information. ~ Vladimir Putin.

President Obama hasn’t been elected by the American people in order to be pleasant to Russia. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Any people has a right to self-determination, and now in Europe the process of diluting national sovereignty in the framework of a united Europe is more accepted. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The transfer of power is always a test of the constitutional system, a test of its strength. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Maybe they have nothing else to do in America but to talk about me. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in Russia, unlike in one third of the world’s countries, being gay is not a crime. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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

It’s Russia some people would like to get rid of. They are still afraid of our nuclear deterrent. We have our own foreign policy whether they like it or not. ~ Vladimir Putin.

All attempts to appease the Nazis between 1934 and 1939 through various agreements and pacts were morally unacceptable and politically senseless, harmful and dangerous. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Journalism, as concerns collecting information, differs little if at all from intelligence work. In my judgment, a journalist’s job is very interesting. ~ Vladimir Putin.

You need to put drones under control; you need to lay out certain rules of engagement in order to prevent or minimize collateral casualties. It is extremely important. ~ Vladimir Putin.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Everything will probably never be OK. But we have to try for it. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The United States has overstepped its borders in all spheres – economic, political and humanitarian – and has imposed itself on other states. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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? ~ Vladimir Putin.

Powerful Vladimir Putin Quotes

Cromwell is just as much of a bloody dictator as was Stalin. ~ Vladimir Putin.

My parents told me that children were taken from their families in 1941, and my mother had a child taken from her – with the goal of saving him. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In the modern world, those who are weak will get unambiguous advice from foreign visitors which way to go and what policy course to pursue. ~ Vladimir Putin.

A considerable share of the world’s population still cannot afford comfortable housing, education and quality health care. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It’s a historical phenomenon that in 250 years, a nation could move from a colony into the most prosperous nation of the world and the leader of the world. It is indeed an achievement, a tribute to the talent of the American nation, the American people and an optimal political and economic system. ~ Vladimir Putin.

If one looks at the map of the world, it’s difficult to find Iraq, and one would think it rather easy to subdue such a small country. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The democratic choice Russian people made in the early 90’s is final. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In some of the states in the U.S., homosexuality remains a felony. ~ Vladimir Putin.

How does one control weight? By not overeating. How does one stay in shape? One plays sports. There are no magic pills here. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Why does the world dislike Russia? I do not think that we are unloved or considered to be ignorant. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Russian democracy is the power of the Russian people with their own traditions of national self-government, and not the realization of standards foisted on us from outside. ~ Vladimir Putin.

You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Russian people have their own cultural code, their own tradition. ~ Vladimir Putin.

No one should be allowed to violently trample on the law. ~ Vladimir Putin.

My English is very bad. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The Russian people have unilaterally made their choice in direction of democracy in the early ’90s. They will not be led astray. Nobody should be having any doubts. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Iraq is a small but very proud nation. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Economic activity is moving from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean… Russia has a certain natural advantage because it also borders the Pacific Ocean. ~ Vladimir Putin.

McCain fought in Vietnam – I think that he has enough civilian blood on his hands. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Radicals can be found in any environment. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Our military might is the guarantor of Russia’s security and independence. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It is necessary to suppress any extremist actions, on all sides, regardless of their origin. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Where in the world have you seen construction people who do everything on time, with good quality and at minimal prices? Just give me one country like that. A country like that doesn’t exist in the world, you know. There’s not one such country anywhere in the world. ~ Vladimir Putin.

We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I believe the U.S. already understands and will understand more and more that only a strong Russia will respond to the genuine interests of the United States. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I’m sure corruption in Chechnya is minimal. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I think the international community should unite to fight such inhuman phenomena as terror attacks and the murder of totally innocent people. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Famous Vladimir Putin Quotes

Don’t be mad at the mirror if you are ugly. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I don’t read books by people who have betrayed the Motherland. ~ Vladimir Putin.

Long Vladimir Putin Quotes

The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. The thing is that today, fundamentalists and terrorists are exploiting those centuries-old problems to accomplish their own objectives that have nothing to do whatsoever with the interests of Chechnya. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I have never stated Russia is an energy superpower, but we have more reserves than almost anybody else. We have always behaved, and we will continue to behave, in a responsible way. We intend to participate in the elaboration of common rules in the energy sector and to abide by rules which are developed together. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. ~ Vladimir Putin.

If we speak calmly, in a businesslike fashion, let me draw your attention to the fact that Russia supplies arms to the legitimate government of Syria in full compliance with the norms of international law. We are not breaching any rules and norms. ~ Vladimir Putin.

In many countries today, moral and ethical norms are being reconsidered; national traditions, differences in nation and culture are being erased. ~ Vladimir Putin.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement. ~ Vladimir Putin.

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

Russia will not soon become, if it ever becomes, a second copy of the United States or England – where liberal value have deep historic roots. ~ Vladimir Putin.

If the nation is not capable of preserving itself and reproducing, if it loses it vital bearings and ideals, then it doesn’t need foreign enemies – it will fall apart on its own. ~ Vladimir Putin.

I love soccer. ~ Vladimir Putin.

The philosophy of FIFA is to expand world soccer space, to spread out the world football space. ~ Vladimir Putin.

It’s alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. ~ Vladimir Putin.


So these were the 170 top Vladimir Putin quotes and sayings.

If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on War quotes and Anti-War quotes.

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Chandan Negi
Chandan Negi

I’m the Founder of InternetPillar.com and InboxQuotes.com - I love sharing inspirational quotes and motivational content to inspire and motivate people - #quotes #motivation #internetpillar #inboxquotes