Putin Defends Ukraine Invasion at China Summit, Blames West

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen in the media centre attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin sought on Monday to defend his Ukraine offensive to Moscow’s allies, blaming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of 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 a summit of the the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

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by Agence France-Presse

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