60 Minute Interview: What did Mr. Putin say about Russia and the situation in Ukraine?

In a 60-minute interview on the American television channel PBS, Russian President Putin expressed pride in Russia and the Ukraine issue.

In addition, in the above interview, Mr. Putin also shared about his time as an intelligence officer before becoming President of Russia as well as his reaction to being called Tsar as well as his views on hot global issues.

Russian President Putin gives an interview on the American television channel PBS. Photo Kremlin.ru

The situation in Ukraine cannot be solved by a “Color Revolution”

Regarding the Ukraine issue, Mr. Putin emphasized: "Resolving problems such as the situation in Ukraine as well as the countries of the former Soviet Union by so-called "color revolutions" through unconstitutional measures such as overthrowing the government in that country is unacceptable."

Mr. Putin affirmed that Russia is Ukraine's closest neighbor and the problems in this country are always Russia's top concern.

“Ukraine is the closest country to us. We always say that Ukraine is our brother and this is absolutely true. Not only is Ukraine of the same Slavic stock as us, but its language, culture, history and religion are also similar to Russia,” Mr. Putin shared.

Asked if he believed the US was involved in the overthrow of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, which forced him to flee to Russia, Putin said he was certain of this and revealed the source of this information.

“We have contacts with thousands of people living in Ukraine and we know well those who met and cooperated with those who overthrew Mr Yanukovych,” Mr Putin said.

“We know exactly how they supported the plotters, how much they paid for it, which countries sponsored the training for the coup and who was pulling the strings,” Putin added.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the East. Photo AP

“We know all the information because our American partners do not know how to ‘keep their mouths shut,’” Mr. Putin said.

The Russian President declared: “Never, in the past, present or future, will Russia seek to overthrow the legitimate government of another country.”

“Respect for the sovereignty of a country means preventing any coups or overthrows of its legitimate government,” Putin said, stressing: “It is not illegal for us to send troops close to the borders of some countries.”

US applies “double standards” when sending nuclear weapons to Germany

Western media has always accused Russia of sending troops into Ukraine to invade the country, however, Russian President Putin has clearly explained this with the "specific example" of the US military presence in Europe.

B61-12 nuclear bomb that the US sent to Germany. Photo illustration PressTV

“Let us not forget that the US strategic nuclear weapons are located in Europe. Does this mean that the US invaded Germany or that the US never gave up its ambition to occupy Europe after World War II and covered up this invasion with the presence of NATO troops there?” Putin asked.

“Meanwhile, Russia's sending of troops to its borders with a number of other countries is considered illegal,” Mr. Putin condemned.

Common pain keeps Russia united

Regarding the Russian people's constant support for him, Mr. Putin shared: "There is one thing in common that unites the Russian people and me: love for the Motherland."

The Russian President pointed out that the pain after World War II is the factor that unites all Russian people.

“My family and many other families suffered great losses during World War II. That is a fact. In my father's family, four out of five of my uncles and paternal uncles died, and in my mother's family, things were not much different.”

“Russians have suffered enormous losses. We must not blame any country or any person for these losses. Instead, we must ensure that such tragedies will never be repeated,” Putin said.

Putin's strong demeanor makes him very popular with the Russian people. Photo AP

Regarding the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mr. Putin shared: "Russia has now become the most divided country in the world."

When asked about the possibility of rebuilding a sphere of influence similar to the former Soviet Union, Mr. Putin smiled and replied: “This question makes me very happy. There are people who always doubt Russia’s ambitions and deliberately misinterpret Russia’s efforts to rise.”

“I have said that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a great tragedy of the 20th century. Do you know why? It was because more than 25 million Russians were suddenly pushed outside the borders of Russia,” Mr. Putin explained.

“They used to live in one country. The Soviet Union was called Soviet Russia and it was a great Russia. They used to live in such a country and suddenly became strangers,” Putin added.

“That leaves them facing painful problems: family separation, economic and social consequences. The list is endless,” Mr. Putin said.

“Do you think it is normal that 25 million Russians suddenly have to suffer such things?” Mr. Putin asked.

When asked how he felt about being called Tsar, Mr. Putin said that this nickname did not suit him and joked that he had been given many other nicknames and he did not care what anyone called him.

Once a KGB officer, always a KGB man

Also in this interview, Mr. Putin shared about the time he worked for the Soviet Union's (former) intelligence agency (KGB) and said that any stage in a person's life will affect them later on.

“No matter what profession we do, the knowledge and experience of that profession will always follow us. We will use that knowledge and experience in one way or another. Therefore, leaving the KGB does not mean becoming a former KGB officer. Once a KGB officer, forever a KGB man.”

Russian President Putin when he was a KGB officer. Photo Business Insider

When asked by American PBS host Charlie Rose: “A person who works at the CIA told me that it is very important to be trained to make people like you because to be liked, you have to find ways to deceive them,” Mr. Putin replied: “If the CIA says so, they must be right and they are experts in this field.”

When asked to evaluate the US President, Mr. Putin said that he did not have the right to do that, but that this should be decided by the American people.

Finally, Russian President Putin shared what he considered most important to himself: "The most important thing is that everything you do must be for the national interest, especially when you are the head of state"./.

According to Vov.vn