‘He was positive to Russia': Putin reacts to shock death of Pope Francis
President Vladimir Putin called Pope Francis's death during Easter a 'special sign,' praising the late pontiff for his "highly positive" stance toward Russia.
"This is a man who treated Russia in an extremely positive manner. I can say that for sure," he told reporters in Moscow.
"We met in person several times and maintained relations through various channels.
"This man, I want to emphasise once again, had a highly positive attitude towards Russia, and we will remember this."
Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin published a statement on the death of the Pope.
"Please accept my most sincere condolences on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis," Putin said in a message to Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
"Throughout the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted the development of dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive cooperation between Russia and the Holy See."
"In this sad hour, I would like to convey to you and the entire Catholic clergy my words of sympathy and support," Putin said in the message.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday.
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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new naval strategy which aims to fully restore Russia's position as one of the world's leading maritime powers, Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev says. Russia has the world's third most powerful navy after China and the United States, according to most public rankings, although the navy has suffered a series of high-profile losses in the Ukraine war. Patrushev, a former KGB officer who served with Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg during Soviet times, said in an interview published on Monday that the new naval strategy - entitled "The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050" - had been approved by Putin in late May. "Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview. "It is impossible to carry out such work without a long-term vision of the scenarios for the development of the situation in the oceans, the evolution of challenges and threats, and, of course, without defining the goals and objectives facing the Russian navy," Patrushev said. Patrushev gave no further details about the strategy, although Russia has ramped up spending on defence and security to Cold War levels as a percentage of gross domestic product. A 2021 US Department of Defence report said China had the largest navy in the world and that Beijing's overall battle force was expected to grow to 460 ships by 2030. Open source data suggests Russia has 79 submarines, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, as well as 222 warships. Its main fleet is the Northern Fleet, headquartered in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new naval strategy which aims to fully restore Russia's position as one of the world's leading maritime powers, Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev says. Russia has the world's third most powerful navy after China and the United States, according to most public rankings, although the navy has suffered a series of high-profile losses in the Ukraine war. Patrushev, a former KGB officer who served with Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg during Soviet times, said in an interview published on Monday that the new naval strategy - entitled "The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050" - had been approved by Putin in late May. "Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview. "It is impossible to carry out such work without a long-term vision of the scenarios for the development of the situation in the oceans, the evolution of challenges and threats, and, of course, without defining the goals and objectives facing the Russian navy," Patrushev said. Patrushev gave no further details about the strategy, although Russia has ramped up spending on defence and security to Cold War levels as a percentage of gross domestic product. A 2021 US Department of Defence report said China had the largest navy in the world and that Beijing's overall battle force was expected to grow to 460 ships by 2030. Open source data suggests Russia has 79 submarines, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, as well as 222 warships. Its main fleet is the Northern Fleet, headquartered in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new naval strategy which aims to fully restore Russia's position as one of the world's leading maritime powers, Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev says. Russia has the world's third most powerful navy after China and the United States, according to most public rankings, although the navy has suffered a series of high-profile losses in the Ukraine war. Patrushev, a former KGB officer who served with Putin in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg during Soviet times, said in an interview published on Monday that the new naval strategy - entitled "The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050" - had been approved by Putin in late May. "Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview. "It is impossible to carry out such work without a long-term vision of the scenarios for the development of the situation in the oceans, the evolution of challenges and threats, and, of course, without defining the goals and objectives facing the Russian navy," Patrushev said. Patrushev gave no further details about the strategy, although Russia has ramped up spending on defence and security to Cold War levels as a percentage of gross domestic product. A 2021 US Department of Defence report said China had the largest navy in the world and that Beijing's overall battle force was expected to grow to 460 ships by 2030. Open source data suggests Russia has 79 submarines, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, as well as 222 warships. Its main fleet is the Northern Fleet, headquartered in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea.
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