Speed Reads

Quotables

Vladimir Putin accuses U.S. of acting like imperialist Soviet Union

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned of the dangers of imperialism while saying his nation had no ambition to "restore the empire" of the post-World War II Soviet Union.

Fielding questions during his annual call-in event with Russian citizens, Putin said Moscow's attempt to foist its economic model on neighboring states "ended in nothing good, this wasn't good, and we've got to admit it." And pivoting from there, Putin then dinged the U.S. for not realizing the same danger as it pursued a strikingly similar foreign policy.

"By the way, this is what the United States is doing across the entire world now," he said.