RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, fancies himself one of history's great men. And to ensure that Russian officials don't forget that, Putin supporters have collected his thoughts in a book, sending gift copies to the Kremlin. It's titled "The Words That Are Changing The World." And it contains some of Putin's choicest lines, like his declaration that all Latvia could expect from Moscow is the ears of a dead donkey. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.