Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again placed the blame for the ongoing war in Ukraine squarely on the West, arguing that Moscow’s military actions were a response to years of provocation rather than unprovoked aggression.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held on Monday in Tianjin, China, Putin accused NATO of fueling instability in the region and dismissed allegations that Russia was solely responsible for starting the war.
He claimed the roots of the crisis go back to the 2013–2014 uprising in Ukraine, which ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Putin asserted that this revolution, often referred to as the “Maidan Revolution,” was orchestrated and supported by Western powers, laying the groundwork for today’s conflict.
Following Yanukovych’s removal, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and began supporting separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, sparking years of violence and devastation.
Tens of thousands of lives have been lost, and entire cities and regions have been reduced to rubble as the conflict has escalated over the years.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 dramatically intensified the fighting, leading to unprecedented sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and other Western allies.
Despite these measures, Russia has largely avoided global isolation, maintaining strong ties with countries such as China, India, and Iran.
Putin reiterated that NATO’s efforts to draw Ukraine into the alliance were among the central causes of the war. He stressed that any long-term peace solution must address Russia’s national security concerns, which he argues have been ignored for decades.
“For the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis must be addressed,” Putin said during his speech.
The Russian president also revealed details of recent diplomatic engagements. He highlighted a meeting with former US President Donald Trump in August, describing their talks as a potential “pathway to peace.
” Putin praised Beijing and New Delhi for their diplomatic initiatives, stating that their peace proposals could help lay the groundwork for a resolution to the conflict.
Putin’s remarks followed a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, where both leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and broader global security issues.
The Russian leader plans to continue these conversations with other leaders during the summit, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Moscow and Beijing have been positioning the SCO as a counterbalance to Western-led alliances, advocating for a new global security framework that Putin claims would replace what he describes as “outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models.”
Despite frequent calls from Donald Trump and others for direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, diplomatic efforts have repeatedly stalled. Russia has rejected various ceasefire proposals and insists on Kyiv ceding more territory—conditions Ukraine has deemed unacceptable.
Putin’s comments underscore Russia’s firm stance that peace talks cannot succeed without addressing its core grievances regarding NATO’s influence in Ukraine.
As the war enters its third year with no clear end in sight, the SCO summit has become a platform for Putin to strengthen alliances and seek greater diplomatic support while presenting Russia’s narrative of the conflict to a global audience.
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