Shanghai: At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and underscored Russia’s guiding principle: that no country “can ensure its security at the expense of another.” He attributed the crisis not to an “invasion,” but to “a coup d’état in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine’s Western allies,” dismissing Western narratives and reaffirming Moscow’s perspective that the conflict stemmed from political upheaval rather than external aggression.
Highlighting the need for a recalibrated security architecture, Putin asserted that the “root causes of the crisis in Ukraine must be addressed, and a security balance must be established.” He also lauded the efforts of India and China in pursuing a resolution to the conflict, stating he “appreciates China and India’s efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.”
Speaking about the Alaska meeting
Putin went on to reference his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, saying he had discussed the outcome with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other counterparts. He emphasized that the understandings reached during that summit “open the way to peace in Ukraine” and pledged to share more details with world leaders during bilateral talks on the SCO sidelines.
Reaffirming the validity of international norms, he declared that United Nations principles, including the respect for the sovereignty of states, “are still ‘valid and unshakable today.’” Amid these remarks, a warm gesture between President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was noted: before the summit, the two leaders shared a warm hug, with Modi posting on X, “Always a delight to meet President Putin!”