Russia seeks neither global dominance nor expansion - Putin

SOCHI, October 27. /TASS/. Russia does not aim at global dominance or expansion and favors equal and indivisible security for all, Russian President Vladimir Putin said speaking at the final meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Thursday. "The priorities, without which safe future of our planet is unthinkable, are obvious, I will not say anything new. That’s, above all, equal and indivisible security," the president said. The Russian leader stressed that Russia had learned to appreciate its identity, freedom and independence. "However, we seek neither global dominance nor expansion nor confrontation," he said, adding that true leadership is not about inventing ephemeral threats and trying to force all others into submission. According to Putin, true leadership means seeing real problems and helping various countries to join forces to tackle these issues. That’s how Russia sees its role in the world affairs, Putin noted. He emphasized that it would be possible to talk about economic progress, efforts to address humanitarian, social and other key issues only after stopping armed conflicts and ensuring peaceful development of all countries. Read more