P104 AERTEL 1 104 Wed 23 Feb 08:42:04  1/4  PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA'S  INTERESTS ————————————— 23 Feb 2022 08:29 Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to look for "diplomatic solutions" amid tensions with the West over Ukraine but stressed that the country's interests were non- negotiable. "Our country is always open for direct and honest dialogue, for the search for diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems," Mr Putin said in a video address to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a public holiday in Russia. But he added: "The interests of Russia, the security of our citizens, are non- negotiable for us." s TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P104 AERTEL 1 104 Wed 23 Feb 08:42:24  2/4  PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA'S  INTERESTS ————————————— 23 Feb 2022 08:29 Mr Putin spoke after parliament's upper house, the Federation Council, yesterday gave him unanimous approval to deploy "peacekeepers" to two breakaway Ukrainian regions now recognised by the Kremlin as independent, and potentially into other parts of Ukraine. In the video address, Mr Putin congratulated the country's men and said he was certain of the "professionalism" of the Russian military and that they will stand up for the country's national interests. s TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P104 AERTEL 1 104 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:22  3/4  PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA'S  INTERESTS ————————————— 23 Feb 2022 08:29 He praised the battle-readiness of the Russian army and said the country would continue to develop state-of-the-art weapons. "We will continue to develop advanced weapon systems, including hypersonic and those based on new physical principles, and expand the use of advanced digital technologies and elements of artificial intelligence," he added. "Such complexes are truly the weapons of the future, which significantly increase the combat potential of our armed forces." s TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P104 AERTEL 1 104 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:43  4/4  PUTIN DEFENDS RUSSIA'S  INTERESTS ————————————— 23 Feb 2022 08:29 Western officials have been warning for weeks the Russian leader has been preparing an all-out invasion of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden last night announced tough new sanctions against Russia for "beginning" an invasion of Ukraine but said there was still time to avoid war. s TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines