Putin blames west for Ukraine’s war at China’s summit

(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his country’s military campaign in Ukraine on Monday, placing blame on the West for the conflict that has lasted over three years and caused tens of thousands of deaths and widespread destruction in eastern Ukraine.

“This crisis was not triggered by Russia's attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West,” Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, referencing Ukraine’s 2013-2014 pro-European revolution that removed a pro-Russian president. Moscow responded by annexing Crimea and supporting pro-Russian separatists in the east, sparking a civil war.

Putin also cited Western attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO as another cause of the crisis.

The SCO summit brought together Russian allies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Moscow and Beijing have promoted the organization as an alternative to Western-led political and security blocs, such as NATO.

Putin called for a global system that “would replace outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, and take into account the interests of the widest circle of countries,” and praised efforts by China, India, and other strategic partners to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

Despite US President Donald Trump urging negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, peace initiatives have stalled. Putin has rejected ceasefire proposals and presented strict territorial and political demands, including that Ukraine surrender additional land and renounce Western support, which Kyiv has dismissed as unacceptable.

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