Published on, Sept. 1 -- September 1, 2025 4:23 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Monday, addressing allies at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, while blaming the West for triggering the ongoing conflict.

Putin claimed the war was caused not by Russia's attack, but by Ukraine's 2013-2014 pro-European revolution, which ousted a pro-Russian president and was allegedly supported and provoked by Western countries.

He also blamed the West for trying to bring Ukraine into NATO, saying these actions further escalated tensions and created the current three-and-a-half-year war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at the summit a...