Russia seeks a full-scale restoration of relations with the United States, President Vladimir Putin said during the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Reuters quoted him as saying, BTA reports.
The head of state noted that there were significant disagreements between Moscow and Washington, but such differences were natural between major world powers. Putin pointed out that during his meeting with US President Donald Trump he had discussed, albeit superficially, the restoration of bilateral relations, with Ukraine being the main topic.
"The summit in Alaska showed that Trump knows how to listen carefully," Putin added. He also responded to Trump's words that Russia is a "paper tiger", emphasizing that his country is successfully opposing NATO.
"If we are at war with the entire NATO bloc and are advancing, we feel confident, and in this situation we are a paper tiger, then what is NATO itself?", the Russian president asked.
Putin stated that all NATO countries are actively fighting Russia and this is no longer hidden. According to him, a special center has been created in Europe that supports the Ukrainian armed forces with intelligence data, weapons and training.
Speaking about the situation in the zone of the so-called "special military operation", Putin emphasized that the Russian army is the most combat-ready and is confidently advancing along the entire front. "The most important thing is to be confident in ourselves, and we are confident", he said.
The Russian leader added that Russia controls almost 100% of the Luhansk region, while the enemy holds just over 19% in the Donetsk region and about 24-25% in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. "Everywhere, Russian troops maintain the strategic initiative," Putin stressed.