Putin says Russia's interests, security 'non-negotiable'
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is ready to resolve the current tensions over Ukraine through "diplomatic solutions," but warned the West that his nation's interests are "non-negotiable."
"The interests of Russia, the security of our citizens, are non-negotiable for us," Putin said in a video address to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day on Wednesday.
"Our country is always open for direct and honest dialog, for the search for diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems," he said.
Putin made the remarks a day after the parliament's upper house, the Federation Council, gave him unanimous approval to deploy "peacekeepers" to two breakaway Ukrainian regions now recognized by Moscow as independent.
The president also said that he was certain of the "professionalism" of the Russian military and that they would stand up for the country's national interests
The developments came after Putin signed a decree on Monday recognizing the breakaway Lugansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine as independent republics and instructed Russia's Defense Ministry to deploy peacekeeping troops to the two regions.
Donetsk and Lugansk regions were turned into self-proclaimed republics by their ethnic Russian residents in 2014, which triggered a violent conflict between government forces and the secessionists.
The US branded the move as "the beginning of an invasion" of Ukraine, with US President Joe Biden announcing tough new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday. Ukraine and its Western allies have long been accusing Russia of preparing for an invasion of Ukraine by amassing 150,000 troops and armaments near the border with that country. Russia has rejected the claim, saying the military build-up is defensive in nature due to its security concerns over Ukraine's bid to join NATO.
Putin vows to develop advanced weapon systems
The Russian president on Wednesday hailed the battle-readiness of the Russian army and said the country would continue to develop state-of-the-art weapons.
"We will continue to develop advanced weapon systems, including hypersonic and those based on new physical principles, and expand the use of advanced digital technologies and elements of artificial intelligence," he added.
"Such complexes are truly the weapons of the future, which significantly increase the combat potential of our armed forces," Putin said.
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