Putin mocks West, says Russia will press on in Ukraine

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow will press on with its military action in Ukraine until reaching its goals and mocked Western attempts to drive Russia into a corner with sanctions.

Putin told at an annual economic forum in the far-eastern port city of Vladivostok that the main goal behind sending troops into Ukraine was protecting civilians in the east of that country after eight years of fighting.

It wasn't us who started the military action, we are trying to put an end to it, Putin said, reaffirming his argument that he sent troops into Ukraine to protect Moscow-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, which have fought Ukrainian forces in the conflict that erupted in 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea. All our action has been aimed at helping people living in the Donbas, it's our duty and we will fulfill it until the end, he said. Putin claimed that Russia has strengthened its sovereignty in the face of Western sanctions, which he said bordered on an aggression.

Russia has resisted the economic, financial and technological aggression of the West, Putin said. "I'm sure that we haven't lost anything and we won't lose anything. The most important gain is the strengthening of our sovereignty, it's an inevitable result of what's going one."

The Russian leader acknowledged that the national economy will shrink by 2% this year.