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Putin reiterates tough stance against West

Xinhua, April 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday vowed to stay tough with the West, stressing his country is not isolated internationally.

Russia has "very friendly relations" with the overwhelming majority of countries worldwide, said Putin during his annual live Q-and-A session with the Russian public.

Russia currently has good cooperation with the United States on the fight against terrorism, he said, expressing the hope that the cooperation can lead to positive results on the Syrian crisis.

Putin promised trade policy reforms to offset the damage of Western sanctions, and said that the sanctions are unlikely to be lifted in the near future.

He said Russia would retain counter-sanctions, urging the West to repeal the restrictions "in their own interests."

Russia's relations with the West plummeted after the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in late 2013. Endi