London, UK – September 1, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, to launch a fierce defense of the military campaign in Ukraine, stating that the conflict was “not triggered by a Russian attack” but was instead the direct result of “years of Western provocations.” Putin’s remarks, delivered to a gathering of regional leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, directly challenged the global narrative of Russian aggression and underscored Moscow’s view of the war as a defensive measure. His speech was a key part of an effort by Russia and China to present the SCO as a powerful counterweight to Western-led alliances and institutions.
Headlines:
* Kremlin’s Narrative: Putin Reiterates Claim of Western Provocation at SCO Summit.
* SCO as Counterweight: Russia and China Present United Front Against Western Blocs.
* NATO Expansion Blamed: Putin Calls for Addressing “Root Causes” of the Conflict.
* Diplomatic Efforts: Putin Praises China and India’s Mediation Stance on Ukraine.
Addressing the summit, Putin repeated long-standing Russian claims that the war was a response to Western actions, specifically referencing the 2014 “coup d’état” in Kyiv that ousted a pro-Russian president and the eastward expansion of NATO. He argued that the continuous efforts to bring Ukraine into the military alliance posed a “direct threat to Russia’s security,” a claim that NATO has consistently denied. Putin said that for any peace settlement to be “sustainable and long-term,” the “root causes of the crisis” must be addressed and a fair balance of security must be restored.
His comments were a clear message to Western nations that Russia sees the conflict not as a matter of unprovoked aggression, but as a struggle to create a new, multipolar world order that replaces what he called “outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models.” Putin’s speech resonated with the summit’s overall theme, which saw Chinese President Xi Jinping also criticize “bullying behavior” and “bloc confrontation” in a thinly veiled reference to the United States and its allies.
Despite Putin’s defense of the war, the SCO’s final declaration did not explicitly mention the conflict. This omission was noted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that the absence of a reference to the war indicated a “failure of Moscow’s diplomatic efforts” to garner widespread support from the bloc. The declaration instead focused on shared security threats like terrorism, drug trafficking, and the need for regional stability.
In his address, Putin also praised the mediation efforts of China and India, which have maintained a more neutral stance on the conflict. He noted that their diplomatic work, along with recent talks between the US and Russia, could “open a way to peace in Ukraine.” This remark, aimed at highlighting Russia’s supposed openness to negotiations, comes as peace efforts have stalled and conditions for a ceasefire remain far apart.
