Putin defends foreign policy in state address

Russian president accuses western governments of using
Ukraine crisis as a pretext to slap sanctions on his country .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the
Kremlin ' s foreign policy , seen by western governments as
agressive, saying that its actions are necessary for his
country ' s survival.
In his annual state -of- the -nation address at the Grand
Kremlin palace on Thursday, Putin defended the
annexation of Crimea in March and accused the West of
using the crisis in Ukraine as a pretext to slap sanctions on
Russia.
"The policy of containment wasn' t thought up yesterday , it ' s
been the plight of our country for many years. Whenever
anyone thinks that Russia is getting too strong and
independent, then these instruments are applied, " Putin said .
Russia has also been accused of supplying pro -Russian
separatists in eastern Ukraine with ammunition
and manpower in a conflict that has killed more than 4, 300
people .
In response , the European Union imposed several rounds
of sanctions on Russia that targets Russia' s finance ,
defence and energy sectors .
Putin also pledged that Russia would not scale back its ties
with the West despite bitter ongoing confrontation over the
Ukraine crisis .
"Under no circumstances are we going to scale back our ties
with Europe , US, at the same time we will revive and
expand traditional ties with the south of the American
continent , will continue cooperation with Africa , with
countries in the Middle East , " Putin said .
Meanwhile, Washington said it does not want to see Russia
isolate itself " through its own actions , " US Secretary of
State John Kerry said on Thursday, calling on Moscow to
help halt the raging Ukraine crisis .
"The United States and countries that support Ukraine' s
sovereignty and rights do not seek confrontation . It is not
our design or desire that we see a Russia isolated through
its own actions , " Kerry told a meeting in Switzerland of top
diplomats from the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE) nations .
The Russian leader is currently under pressure to show that
his government has an answer for Russia ' s worsening
economy , with sanctions and the falling price of energy
exports sending the ruble into a tailspin , culminating in an
acknowledgment this week by the government that the country
is headed for recession.