DHAKA: President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia will be able to replace any defense industry imports lost due to the Ukraine crisis with its own products despite the close ties between arms and military equipment makers in Russia and Ukraine.

Putin told lawmakers he believed the motive behind any Western sanctions targeting the Russian defense sector would be a desire to undermine Russia’s efforts to compensate for a reduction in imports from Ukraine.

The Jerusalem Post publishes this report.

BDST: 2035 HRS, APR 28, 2014