Putin says at "Valdai" that Russia was "forced" to wage war against Ukraine and calls on West to "live in harmony"

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia had not started the war against Ukraine but had been "forced to defend itself" because of "Russophobia" and "the killing of Russian people".

He said this during a session at the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Censor.NET reports.

Statements about the war against Ukraine

According to Putin, "Russia was deliberately placed in a situation where it was forced to defend itself with weapons in hand, responding to aggression".

"We were deliberately pushed to this point. And in general, Russophobia, the oppression and killing of Russian people, and the destruction of Russia should not be turned into a state ideology, nor should Russia’s strategic defeat be set as a goal," he said.

The dictator also claimed that Russian forces had never been the first to attack civilian infrastructure and were "guided by the inviolability of the rules of warfare".

On the collapse of the USSR and dialogue with the West

Putin called the collapse of the USSR a "tragedy" and urged the West to "live in harmony".

"If we want to live, and everyone wants to live, then, as I once said in a public speech, let’s live in harmony. Let’s work together to find ways to do this," he said.

On a "new world order"

The dictator also said that not only the East and West, but also the North and South, would sooner or later "have to agree on the foundations of a new world order".

Speaking about measures to prevent a global catastrophe, the Kremlin leader stressed: "Responsibility for our shared future is far from an abstract slogan. It is a set of practical actions aimed at preventing humanity from sliding to the point where its survival is at stake and avoiding the irreparable". According to him, the world "has reached a decisive turning point in its development".

Other "important" statements by the Kremlin leader:

"There are no guarantees that nuclear powers will not resort to using nuclear weapons";
"Humanity has yet to grasp the scale of the current challenges that are changing life.

We must avoid the most catastrophic scenarios, in which humanity’s survival would be at stake";
"There have always been wars, and there will continue to be wars. They are an inseparable part of humanity";
"We were told that NATO would not move eastwards – we were deceived";
"As soon as the USSR collapsed, NATO decided to complete the disintegration of Russia";
"If it comes to an attack on Kaliningrad, Russia will use every weapon we have".