Hailing Peter the Great, Putin draws parallel with mission to 'return' Russian lands

Russia's President Vladimir Putin listens to explanations as he visits an exhibition opened to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Russian tsar and the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great in Moscow, Russia June 9, 2022. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute on Thursday to Tsar Peter the Great on the 350th anniversary of his birth, drawing a parallel between what he portrayed as their twin historic quests to win back Russian lands.

"Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years. It would seem that he was at war with Sweden, he took something from them. He did not take anything from them, he returned (what was Russia's)," Putin said after a visiting an exhibition dedicated to the tsar.