MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. The West tried to push Russia away, to weaken it and finally crush the country, but it would never happen, the president said following the ceremony awarding Gold Star medals to Heroes of the Russian Federation.
Journalist of Russia’s Rossiya-1 TV Channel Pavel Zarubin posted a fragment of Putin’s statement on his Telegram channel.
"There was an attempt to push Russia away, to weaken it and crush it eventually. They [the West] will never and ever be able to do it," Putin said.