Putin: Ukraine crisis rooted in Western-backed coup, not Russian attack

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine did not arise from a Russian attack but rather from a Western-provoked coup in Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated.

At the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin, China, Putin expressed hope that the “understandings” reached in recent talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska would contribute to resolving the conflict, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

“We highly value the efforts and proposals of China, India, and other strategic partners aimed at facilitating a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. I also hope that the understandings reached during the recent Russian-American summit in Alaska will move in this direction, opening the road to peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.

Turning to the broader international order, Putin emphasised that the key principles of the UN Charter — including the primacy of international law, the sovereign rights of every state, and respect for their independence and national interests — remain “valid and unshakable” to this day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated.

“Following the Second World War, the United Nations was created, which this year also marks its 80th anniversary,” the president said.

Putin noted that the UN Charter enshrined the key principles: the primacy of international law, the right of nations to self-determination, sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the independence and national interests of every state. "These principles remain valid and unshakable to this day.”

By Khagan Isayev