Putin defends Russian economy at St. Petersburg forum amidst Western sanctions.

President Putin touted Russia's economy at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum despite heavy international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. Western officials and investors avoided the event, and journalists from "unfriendly" countries were banned from covering it. Putin defended Russia's actions in Ukraine and claimed that the Ukrainian government is a neo-Nazi regime. He also confirmed that Russia has deployed its first tranche of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and rejected the possibility of reducing Russia's nuclear arsenal.