President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the West had used the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea as a pretext to slap sanctions against Russia.
In a highly patriotic state of the union speech, Putin stated that the Crimean Peninsula is of "huge importance for the Russian nation, just as the Temple Mountain is for people of Muslim and Jewish faith."
"Every time someone believes Russia has become too strong, independent, these instruments get applied immediately," Putin said in his state of the nation address, referring to sanctions.
Putin stated that Western sanctions should be seen as a possible stimulus.
"We have a huge internal market and resources... capable, intelligent people," he said. "Our people have demonstrated national strength, patriotism - and the difficulties we are facing create new opportunities".
He suggested that even Crimea had not been annexed, the West would have found a different reason to impose sanctions on Russia in order to contain it's resurgence.
The West "would have thought up some other excuse to contain Russia's growing possibilities" if there had been no tension over Crimea and Ukraine.
Putin said Moscow would pursue its own agenda even when "certain countries try to erect a new Iron Curtain around Russia," according to a translation by Russia Today.
"We are not going to get ourselves dragged into an expensive arms race, but will address our security. Nobody will gain a military edge over Russia."