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Putin says Russia has much to be proud of but is not obsessed with its superpower status

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russia is not obsessive with the status of a superpower but is to be reckoned with in the global arena, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US journalist Charlie Rose in an interview with CBS and PBS.

"I am proud of Russia. We have much to be proud of. But we have no obsession that Russia must be a super power in the international arena," Putin said when asked whether he wanted Russia to play a more significant role in the world. "This is not an end in itself," he underscored.

To the journalists remark that Russia is a power to be reckoned with as it possesses nuclear weapons, the Russian leader said laughingly, "I hope so, otherwise what are these weapons for?".