(AP) MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin spoke of Russia’s need to “take back (territory) and defend itself” Thursday in a speech in which he compared himself to Peter the Great.
Speaking at a meeting with young entrepreneurs in Moscow, Putin drew parallels between the conquering monarch’s founding of St. Petersburg and his government’s annexation of territory.
“When he founded the new capital, no European country recognized it as Russia. Everybody recognized it as Sweden,” Putin said. “And Slavic people had always lived there along with Finno-Ugric people, and the territory was under the control of the Russian state.”
“What was he doing? Taking back and reinforcing. That’s what he did. And it looks like it fell on us to take back and reinforce as well,” he said.
Putin also appeared to leave the door open for further territorial expansion, while asserting Russia's sovereignty.
“There is no state in between. A country is either sovereign or a colony,” he said.
“It’s impossible — do you understand — impossible to build a fence around a country like Russia. And we do not intend to build that fence,” Putin added.
