Don’t expect a standing ovation from nations that seek to contain Russia, the president told supporters Western criticism of the Russian political system and its elections as supposedly undemocratic is hypocritical and irrelevant to the nation, President Vladimir Putin has told the media after securing a new term in office.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has told Kiev’s foreign backers at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos that they should curb optimism about the situation on the ground in the east of the country.

Russia is considering “asymmetric” measures against Kiev’s sponsors due to Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons against its territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.  The Russian leader’s remarks came at a meeting with heads of international news agencies on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).