Putin blames West for Ukraine conflict at SCO Summit

By A Staff Reporter

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday attributed the origins of the Ukraine conflict to what he described as persistent efforts by Western nations to draw Kyiv into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, Putin said such actions undermined regional stability and triggered the confrontation.

“The West's constant attempts to draw Kiev into NATO is one of the main causes of the Ukrainian conflict,” Putin remarked during his address to the gathering of leaders, which included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and heads of several Central Asian states.

The comments reflect Moscow’s long-standing position that NATO’s eastward expansion poses a direct threat to Russia’s security interests. Putin has previously argued that Ukraine’s potential NATO membership would alter the security architecture of the region, intensifying tensions with Moscow.