Vladimir Putin: “U.S. and Western officials believe Vladimir Putin could soon formally declare war on Ukraine.”

At the heart of this escalation lie arrogance and overconfidence. This is a path to the brink of the abyss.

Such a high, even record, number of people who came out and voted shows that the people of Russia support our efforts aimed at strengthening the country.

If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation – in this case, we are referring to Kaliningrad, and perhaps other territories as well — the question of the Russian Federation deploying all the weapons at our country’s disposal…

I think it's another mistake, a serious one. And in my view it clearly runs counter to the interests of the German people.