Putin lays wreath to honor armed forces
STORY: Putin on Wednesday released a video statement to coincide with the annual Defender of the Fatherland Day.
In it he did not mention his standoff with the West over Ukraine which has seen Western sanctions imposed on Russia after he decided to recognize the independence of two breakaway Ukrainian regions.
However he said Russia was always open to diplomacy but put its own national security interests first and would continue to strengthen its military in the face of what he called a difficult international situation.
