Putin, in new video, calls Russia’s core interests ‘non-negotiable’ but says it’s open to ‘honest dialogue’

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a video address Wednesday, asserted that the country’s core interests were “non-negotiable” amid tensions with Ukraine – and with the U.S. and other Western nations.

"The interests of Russia, the security of our citizens, are non-negotiable for us." 

Putin’s remarks came on Defenders of the Fatherland Day, the Russian equivalent of Veterans Day in the United States, according to Max Seddon, Moscow bureau chief of The Financial Times of Britain.

The comments also came as Putin – and what actions he might take next -- continued to be the focus of the globe as some 150,000 Russian troops remained close to Russia’s border with Ukraine and as the U.S. and the West announced sanctions intended to punish Moscow for what they see as unprovoked aggression against a sovereign nation.