MOSCOW, Russia. President Putin, in an interview with the American television channel NBC, commented on his famous photoshopped picture, where he rides a bear shirtless. The question was related to the previous one – interviewer Megyn Kelly asked the Russian leader how important it is to create the impression of strength, “project force,” while being a president.

“It is important not to create an impression (force), but to show it,” Putin said in response. It is also very important to understand what is meant by force.

“It’s not just pounding your fists and making loud statements, I believe that strength has several dimensions: First, a person must be convinced of the truth in what he is doing, and secondly: he must be ready to go all the way to achieve the goals that he set.”

Pictures of Putin in nature, whether horseback or otherwise, are not specifically provided by the Kremlin – they are chosen for publications by journalists, and are then shared by Internet users.

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“I occasionally go on vacations. Your Russian colleagues [journalists] select these photographs. They are not intentionally provided – they take what they like,” Putin explained. “I have a lot of pictures in the working environment, covered in papers, in my office, but this is of no interest to anyone. ”

“You mean, they specifically like photos of you shirtless?” Kelly asked, laughing.