Russian president Vladimir Putin says West to blame for Ukraine crisis, US trying to 'remake the whole world'

Updated

Russia's president Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of making the world a more dangerous place by imposing a "unilateral diktat", or harsh policies, in international diplomacy.

He also denied Russia wanted to build a new empire or is attempting to undermine the sovereignty of neighbouring countries.

In a speech laced with language reminiscent of the Cold War, Mr Putin shifted blame for the crisis in Ukraine to the West and portrayed Russia as a strong power that would not be forced to beg the West to lift sanctions imposed over the conflict.

He warned that Washington was trying to "remake the whole world" around its own interests and that the risk of international conflicts was growing.

"We did not start this," Mr Putin told a group of political scholars known as the Valdai Club in a resort above the Black Sea city of Sochi.

"Statements that Russia is trying to reinstate some sort of empire, that it is encroaching on the sovereignty of its neighbours, are groundless."

We always see one and the same thing in different manifestations: to suppress by force Russian president Vladimir Putin

Dismissing the US and European Union sanctions on Russia as a mistake, he said: "Russia will not be posturing, get offended, ask someone for anything. Russia is self-sufficient."

Mr Putin said the threat of arms control treaties being violated was growing and called for talks on internationally acceptable conditions for the use of force.

The speech included some of Mr Putin's fiercest rhetoric against the West since he first rose to power in 2000 and underlined how far apart Moscow and the West are on a range of matters.

Mr Putin said the threat of arms control treaties being violated was growing and called for talks on internationally acceptable conditions for the use of force.

The West has accused Russia of violating Ukraine's sovereignty by annexing the Crimea peninsula and says it has sent troops and weapons to help pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies the accusations.

Mr Putin also criticised the pro-Western government in Kiev for using force against the rebellious regions in east Ukraine rather than conducting talks with their Russian-speaking population to seek an end to the turmoil there.

"We don't see a desire from our partners in Kiev... to solve the problem of relations with the south-east of the country through a political process, with talks," Mr Putin said.

"We always see one and the same thing in different manifestations: to suppress by force."

Mr Putin also said that Russia had helped Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych to flee to Russia in February after he was toppled in violent street protests in Kiev.

"I will say it openly - he asked to be driven away to Russia. Which we did," he said.

NATO calls on Russia to withdraw troops ahead of Ukraine poll

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg has called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine as the country prepares for key national elections, which pro-Moscow rebels plan to prevent in areas they control.

Mr Stoltenberg, who took office last month with the crisis top of his agenda, said Russia's continued presence and support for the rebels violated international law, as well as Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Make no mistake, there remain Russian forces inside eastern Ukraine US Air Force General Philip Breedlove

Moscow denies that it has any military presence in Ukraine or that it supplies pro-Russian rebels there with weapons.

Kiev and the rebels agreed a ceasefire on September 5, which has been frequently breached.

The accord was subsequently widened to include a military pull-back but many of the provisions remain to be implemented as the death toll in the conflict tops 3,700.

Mr Stoltenberg said Russia should use all its influence with the rebels to get them to respect the ceasefire and that it withdraw its forces from Ukraine and the border region as well

Doing so would "contribute to de-escalate the tension and create a more stable framework for a political solution," he told reporters at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium.

Mr Stoltenberg said it was "of great importance" that all sides respect the result of Sunday's elections, a key step for Ukraine to become a stable democracy

NATO Supreme Commander General Philip Breedlove said Russia continued to have a significant force on the border with Ukraine.

"We've seen a pretty good withdrawal of the Russian forces from inside Ukraine but, make no mistake, there remain Russian forces inside eastern Ukraine," US Air Force General Philip Breedlove told reporters at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium.

Some Russian troops stationed near the Ukraine border had left and others appeared to be preparing to leave.

"But the force that remains and shows no indications of leaving is still a very, very capable force," he said.

Earlier this month, Mr Putin said some 18,000 troops were being withdrawn from the border area in an apparent gesture ahead of talks with Ukraine and European Union leaders on the crisis.

At least 824,000 displaced by Ukraine conflict: UN

The conflict in Ukraine has driven more than 824,000 people from their homes, the UN refugee agency said, warning that it was having to scramble aid to offset the impact of winter.

At least 430,000 people had been displaced within Ukraine as of Thursday, the UNHCR said, 170,000 more than at the start of September.

"With the crisis in Ukraine entering its first winter, UNHCR is racing to help some of the most vulnerable displaced people cope with expected harsh winter conditions," the UN agency said.

"Ongoing fighting in the east, and the resulting breakdown of basic services, continues to drive more people from their homes."

Around 95 per cent of the displaced people are from conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.

The UNHCR said the need for humanitarian aid was greatest around Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kiev and in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions.

In addition to those displaced within Ukraine, another 387,000 have fled to Russia, while 6,600 have applied for asylum in the European Union and 581 in Belarus, the agency said.

Reuters/AFP

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, ukraine, russian-federation

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