"We see that such a neighbor cannot be called a neighbor. This is a nation with a leadership that has no right to exist. Over thousands of years, nothing civilized has changed there – neither in mentality nor in its imperial, ambitious behavior."

"Unfortunately, throughout their history, the Donetsk and Lugansk regions have been largely populated by settlers, and there have also been many criminal elements there. That's why such an irresponsible population has formed there. I wouldn't say it's the majority, but a very significant part of this group doesn't want to work, they want freebies, and, frankly, they don't care which country they live in or what it's called. Returning to what I said, to prevent this from happening again, we need to work with the population on issues of statehood and the cultivation of national identity – so that a person is Ukrainian, and not, excuse me, "a remnant of the Soviet Union"."

I went to see Trump right after the election, and I came there with seven big slides.

Slide one, slide two, slide three, slide four — here's what we're going to do.

Not "are you allowing us or not allowing us" — here's what we're going to do. I told him. And we get to the last slide, and I say: here's what I'm proposing to you.

You have B-2s — these huge bombers. There's a site called Fordow. If we need to, we'll act against it ourselves too. But it's much more effective if you come and simply drop your heavy bombs there.

He listened, and in the end he joined. And I was very glad.