MOSCOW, Russia — A defiant President Vladimir Putin on Monday called the Ukrainian army a “NATO foreign legion,” reflecting his readiness to stand up to the West regardless of rising economic costs, as Standard & Poor’s rating agency downgraded Russia’s credit rating to junk.
While the Russian ruble tumbled further on the news of the downgrade, Putin’s spokesman shrugged off the Western threat of more sanctions as “short-sighted.”
The Kremlin’s uncompromising stance is rooted in its desire to prevent Ukraine from ever joining NATO by securing a broad autonomy for the rebellious provinces in the east. To avoid being called …read more
Source: The Philippine Daily Inquirer
