This Article is From Dec 04, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin Delivers Keynote Speech

Russian President Vladimir Putin Delivers Keynote Speech

File Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Agence France-Presse)

Moscow: Here are quotes from Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual State of the Union speech to members of parliament and other top officials in the Kremlin today.

SANCTIONS


"I am certain that if all this did not take place (the crisis in Ukraine) ... they would come up with another reason to contain Russia's growing capabilities. The policy of containment was not invented yesterday."

"When anyone only thinks Russia has become strong ... they resort to this instrument (sanctions."

"But there is no point in talking to Russia from a position of strength."

ECONOMY

"I propose freezing the current tax conditions and not changing them for the next four years."

"I propose a full amnesty for capital returning to Russia."

CRIMEA

"Finally, there was a historic reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia."

"For Russia, Crimea ... has a great civilizational and sacred meaning."

UKRAINE

"Every nation has an inalienable, sovereign right to its own path of development ... Russia always has and always will respect that. This applies fully to Ukraine, the brotherly Ukrainian nation."

"We have condemned the coup, the forcible seizure of power in Kiev in February. What we are seeing now in Ukraine, the tragedy in the southeast, fully confirms that our position is right."

"How can one support an armed seizure of power, violence, murder? ... How can one support the attempts that followed to suppress with the help of armed forces the people in the southeast who did not agree with this lawlessness? ... This is pure cynicism. I am sure that the Ukrainian nation itself will judge these events in a just way." 
© Thomson Reuters 2014
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