Putin responded to Trump's "paper tiger" remarks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the Valdai International Discussion Club and rejected former US President Donald Trump's description of Russia as a "paper tiger."

Putin emphasized that Russia is moving forward despite conflicts with NATO and noted that Trump's words "could have been said sarcastically."

This was Putin's first public reaction to Trump's statement. Earlier, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov also described Russia not as a "paper tiger," but as a "real bear."