Vladimir Putin blames 'the west' for Ukraine 'crisis' at 'Anti Nato' summit

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again shifted blame for the ongoing war in Ukraine, claiming the crisis was not the result of Russia’s invasion but of Western interference.

Putin argued that the conflict began with the 2014 events in Kyiv, which he described as a Western-backed coup, followed by attempts to suppress regions that resisted the new government. He also pointed to NATO’s expansion as a supposed threat to Russia’s security, insisting that Ukraine’s potential membership made Moscow’s actions “necessary.”

Despite NATO being a defensive alliance, Putin continued to justify his invasion. He hinted at “understandings” with former U.S. President Donald Trump during their Alaska meeting but stressed that peace would only be possible if Ukraine were weakened militarily and politically in other words, stripped of its sovereignty.

Pro-Ukraine voices dismissed his remarks. The channel Ukraine Fights mocked him as “Putler,” saying he was simply repeating the same narrative in hopes that “if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.”

At the same summit, China’s Xi Jinping echoed Moscow’s position, calling for a “more just and equitable global governance system” and promoting multipolarity as an alternative to the Western-led order.

Meanwhile, the war on the ground showed no signs of slowing. Russian airstrikes in Zaporizhzhia killed two civilians overnight, while Ukraine launched drone attacks on a Russian power substation in Krasnodar, sparking large fires and choking smoke. Kyiv also unveiled its new Flamingo long-range missiles, hitting Russian patrol boats and an FSB outpost in occupied Crimea a significant step forward since these weapons do not require Western approval for use.

In another incident, Russian air defences intercepted drones near Gelendzhik, not far from Putin’s lavish Black Sea palace.

The contrasting narratives highlight a core tension: while Moscow continues to frame the war as the West’s fault, Ukraine and its allies insist the conflict stems from one thing alone Russia’s invasion.