Bangladesh, May 27 -- In a stark reiteration of Russias long-standing narrative on the Ukraine conflict, President Vladimir Putin claimed on May 26 that Moscow was “forced” to initiate its military operation in Ukraine, citing years of Western interference and the persecution of Russian-speaking populations in Donbass as the root causes of the war. Speaking to a delegation of Russian businessmen in the Kremlin, Putin placed the blame squarely on the 2014 Euromaidan uprising, which he described as a “bloody coup” backed by Western powers.

The Russian leader argued that the post-Euromaidan authorities in Kiev had systematically marginalized and attacked Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine, particularly Donet...