Putin Says Russia Under Pressure for Defending Its Sovereignty

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused opponents of pressuring his country because it’s defending its sovereignty and said it should take steps to maintain stability.

Those nations leading moves to impose sanctions on Russia are the ones responsible for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Putin told a Russian Security Council meeting on Friday. Russia shouldn’t “count on a change in the unfriendly course on the part of some of our geopolitical opponents” in the European Union and the U.S., he said.