Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West will impose sanctions on Russia regardless of plans to invade Ukraine, as it will “always find a pretext” to introduce punitive measures against Moscow. He added Russia must work on strengthening its economic sovereignty, APA reports citing Teletrader.

However, Putin also stated Russia is ready to pursue negotiations on security issues with the United States and NATO. He noted the rise in tensions in Donbass and stressed the need to implement the Minsk Protocol, which seeks to stabilize the situation in the eastern Ukrainian region.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency