Putin pledge on Russian policies

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told a massive annual military parade in Red Square that the country will stand up for its positions.

Mr Putin’s short speech to some 14,000 servicemen and thousands of guests comes less than a week after the country’s military chief of staff warned that Russia would consider pre-emptive strikes if a dispute with the United States over a Europe-based missile defence system worsens.

Mr Putin did not mention any country specifically today, but said: “Russia consistently conducts its policy for strengthening security in the world and we have the great moral right to fundamentally and insistently right stand up for our position.”

The annual parade marks Victory Day, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany.