The head of state said this during a meeting with participants of the World Youth Festival (WYF).
“You know, Montenegro has always been a state close to us, and the people who live there are close to us both in faith and culture,” the Russian leader noted.
Putin added that Montenegro found itself in a difficult situation, and joining Western sanctions is populism.
In December it was reported that the opening ceremony of the monument to Alexander Nevsky took place in the Montenegrin city of Andrijevica.