Sep 01, Kathmandu - Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Western countries for the ongoing war in Ukraine. He claimed that the Moscow attack was the result of years of Western incitement.

Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin on Monday, Putin accused NATO of destabilizing the region. He rejected suggestions that Russia had started the war.

“This crisis did not start with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but rather the result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and incited by Western countries,” Putin said, referring to the European-backed uprising that ousted then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2013-14.

In response to the revolution, Russia annexed Crimea, and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine, which killed thousands and devastated large parts of the country.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 escalated the war, prompting the US and the European Union to impose tough sanctions on Russia. This has isolated Russia from Western nations, but not from the rest of the international community.

Putin said the main cause of the war was Western efforts to bring Ukraine into NATO. He stressed that Russia’s security concerns must be addressed before any peace deal can be reached.

“For a solution to the Ukrainian problem to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis must be addressed,” he said.

The Russian president also mentioned his talks with US President Donald Trump in August. He said the discussions had “opened the way to peace.” He praised the diplomatic efforts of Beijing and New Delhi, saying their proposals “could facilitate a resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.”