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Putin advises Western critics to fight inflation, state debt, not censure Russia

"To all these critics, and they are certainly unfair critics, I can say the following: You know what? Mind our own business"

MOSCOW, October 17 (Itar-Tass) —— Prime Minister Vladimir Putin advised Western critics to fight inflation and state debt rather then reproach Russia for entertaining imperial ambitions.

“As for our critics abroad, and I mean critics who speak about our imperial ambitions, what can I say? We see what is happening, for example, in Europe: integration there has reached such a level that was unimaginable even in the Soviet Union,” Putin said in an interview with three federal television channels on Monday, October 17.

He noted that “the number of mandatory decisions of the European Parliament has exceeded the number of mandatory decisions that were adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for Soviet republics”.

“They can do anything there and it’s okay. But we have imperial ambitions. To all these critics, and they are certainly unfair critics, I can say the following: You know what? Mind our own business – fight growing inflation and soaring state debt, excess weight after all. Get down to work,” the prime minister said.

He stressed that there are no plans to recreate the Soviet Union. “Russia has no interest in that today. It is not interested to assume excessive risks and bear excessive loads for the countries that for some reasons are trailing behind us in certain fields,” Putin said.

At the same time, he made it clear that Russia would be ready to carry its share of the burden and responsibility for expanding the common economic space.