MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Western countries originally wanted to "defeat Russia on the battlefield," but have since changed their tune, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the Russian Civic Chamber.

"In military terms, it was about defeating Russia on the battlefield. Now they are singing a different tune and changing their rhetoric," he said.

"This does not mean that we need to get aggressive, but it does mean that we should be sovereign and independent in every sense of the word," the president said.

Putin explained that the economy and real production need developing. The president also pointed out that this production is intrinsically linked to the global economy, "no doubt, there is no other way in the modern world.".