By RFE/RL
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on April 16 that Western sanctions are aimed at restraining Russia, asserting that Moscow's role in the crisis and conflict in Ukraine are only a pretext for the punitive measures imposed by the European Union, United States, and other nations.
Putin made the remarks in annual question-and-answer session shown live on state television.
He said the purpose of the sanctions is Russia's "containment" and predicted they would not be lifted soon.
The United States and EU say the sanctions are aimed to change the behavior of Russia, which Kyiv and Western nations say illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 and has sent troops and weapons to eastern Ukraine to support separatists in a war that has killed more than 6,000 people since April 2014.
Putin claimed that Russia is abiding by the terms of a cease-fire deal and that the sanctions have nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine.
Putin said Russia should use the sanctions as a basis to for "new achievements" in the economy.
Latest from our news desk:
Putin says Russia is not planning to "resurrect the empire" but will act to support Russians living in the former Soviet republics.
Putin Denies Army Troops In Ukraine, Says No Imperial Ambitions
By RFE/RL
President Vladimir Putin said on April 16 that "the Russian Army is not in Ukraine," repeating Moscow's denial that it has sent troops to aid pro-Russian rebels.
In a question-and-answer session that was shown live on state television, Putin said Russia is not trying to "resurrect the empire" but will act to support Russians in former Soviet republics.
Kyiv and NATO have rejected Russia's denials, saying Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help the rebels in a conflict that has killed more than 6,000 people since April 2014.
Putin said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has made "colossal" mistakes in handling the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but stressed that the only way to resolve disputes between Kyiv and separatists is to implement a cease-fire deal signed in Minsk in February.
Putin's spokesman said a day earlier that many Russians were calling on Putin to recognize self-declared republics established by separatists in eastern Ukraine as independent.
Putin gave no indication he would do that, saying that Kyiv should protect the rights of Russian-speakers abroad and abide by the Minsk agreement, which Russia accuses Kyiv of violating.
Kyiv says Russia and the rebels have violated the deal.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.