• Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizes the West for not condemning what he calls Kiev's "state terrorism" during a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
• Putin asserts that Russia has the resources to continue the war with Ukraine despite billions of dollars in damages caused by Ukrainian attacks on critical infrastructure.
• Putin dismisses rumors of a military draft in Russia ahead of parliamentary elections, stating there is currently no need for mobilization and that people are voluntarily signing up to participate in the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the West for failing to speak out about what he termed Kiev's "state terrorism" as he spoke to the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, amid the fifth year of the Kremlin's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Despite Ukrainian attacks on Russia that have caused billions of dollars worth of damage to critical infrastructure including oil refineries, Putin insisted Moscow has sufficient resources to continue the war.

"The Russian economy is in a completely stable state," Putin told the forum. He again acknowledged difficulties but emphasized the situation was under control, in response to concerns among the public.

Putin decried Ukraine's blockade of Russian airspace threatened by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "state terrorism" and criticized the West for failing to react to Kiev's threats. Western allies "are thus becoming complicit in international terrorism," Putin asserted.

Putin: Negotiations to end war difficult, but possible

Putin said this would also complicate any potential negotiations to end the war. He said such talks are fundamentally possible and that they should primarily take place between Moscow and Kiev.

Russia is grateful to all countries that are trying to contribute to this, Putin said, citing the US and China as examples. He also said that the Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services remain in contact.

Putin doubled down in his criticism of Ukraine's attacks on Russian cargo and merchant ships, as well as the seizure of vessels by Western states on the world's oceans.

The EU has imposed sanctions on oil tankers belonging to what it calls the "shadow fleet" and is acting to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. In Russia's view, this is piracy and Putin has vowed to use the navy to protect these ships.

Ukrainian drone swarms in Russian airspace

As the warring parties increasingly deploy drones to attack each other, Putin called for Russia's air defences to be further strengthened. He also called on companies to ensure the protection of civilian infrastructure.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Kiev closed its airspace when the fighting began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on international airlines to stop flying to Russia earlier this week, arguing its airspace is unsafe due to drone attacks. He has vowed to deploy 1,000 drones per day to attack Russia.

In response, Russian authorities say countermeasures are being taken, though drone alerts repeatedly mean airports are closed, with even Moscow's airports forced to temporarily suspend operations almost daily.

President: No mobilization for war necessary

Ahead of the parliamentary elections, Putin again dismissed rumours of a military draft afterwards. "There is currently no scenario that would require a mobilization," he said. He said there had been a disinformation campaign by the opposition in the run-up to the Duma election, due to be held on September 18-20, by those determined to destabilize the nation and influence voters.

His comments come after Zelensky has said several times that Putin plans a large-scale call-up in the autumn. But Putin claimed people in Russia are signing up voluntarily to take part in Russia's war.

Men in Russia are put under extensive pressure to sign such military contracts, according to human rights activists. Some universities are blackmailing students, while companies are pressuring employees to serve on the front line, critics say.

The media have also reported cases in which the police plant drugs on men then force them to sign the contracts under the threat of prosecution. Cases have also emerged in which recruitment agencies issue contracts to jobseekers which prove to be commitments to serve in the war.

President responds to rumours

Russia's economy is under strain from high state spending on the war as well as foreign sanctions. Putin has so far been willing to accept this in order to achieve his goals in Ukraine. But Moscow has enough financial resources to continue the war, independent observers say.

Putin admitted that there was a budget deficit, but at the same time described it as not critical, particularly given the country's low level of foreign debt compared with Western states. He reiterated that Russia would emerge victorious.

During a question-and-answer session on the podium, Putin also responded to rumours circulating in Russia that the state would use citizens' savings as a new source of funding as the nation's budgetary problems mount. This has been a subject of heated debate among the Russian public but Putin dismissed it as "silly false reports."

Putin regularly uses the forum - as he does with its counterpart in St Petersburg in June - to set out his views on the situation inside Russia and on foreign policy.

According to the Kremlin, Putin is also due to meet the Indonesian president, the Mongolian prime minister and delegations from several countries, including China.