President Putin enjoys reading history books.

President Putin revealed that he enjoys reading history books, even though he has little free time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Tass.

"I enjoy reading history books. As a leader, I want to understand what my predecessors were thinking before making decisions, what their goals were, and what results they achieved. I evaluate history and past events in that way," Tass quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying today at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Channel 1's evening news program, Vremya.

President Putin shared that he has little free time to read. The Kremlin leader didn't think about his image being included in history books.

"Because when you think about it, you'll feel important, sorry for the way I said it... You should just fulfill your responsibilities," he said.

President Putin said that his family was not well-off in the past and often had to borrow money, but they still managed to buy a television to watch hockey games featuring the Soviet team.

When asked which program impressed him most 50 years ago, President Putin replied that it was "the flight of the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft," one of the highlights of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

President Putin praised Vremya as a model program for providing reliable information. He described the program's team as talented and wished the program continued success.

According to VNE