Russian President Vladimir Putin told a nine-year-old earlier this week that Russia's borders "do not end anywhere," according to foreign media reports.
During a televised ceremony for students in Moscow, Putin asked a nine-year-old boy on stage: "Where does Russia’s border end?"
The child answered, "At the Bering Strait with the United States."
The Russian president went on to tell the attendees he was making a joke, but his comments are unlikely to ease mounting tensions in Europe over Russian aggression, especially with regard to his decision to move nuclear-capable missiles closer to European border countries.