Putin: “It was not us who wanted or started fighting; they started fighting against us”

Putin: “It was not us who wanted or started fighting; they started fighting against us”

Putin, speaking at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, “briefly digressing from the main topic,” started talking about the war in Ukraine, saying that “it was not us who started fighting,” and that the war is a response to “plans to create concentration camps for residents of Donbas and Crimea,” “burning unarmed people alive,” and “NATO’s military development of our historical territories.”

After saying that “the principle ‘might makes right, no brains needed’ sometimes seems to guide certain international players who are confident in their own military-political, economic and moral exceptionalism,” and that “this never leads to anything good,” he turned to Ukraine:

I know, of course, that part of the expert community has a question: “Russia says it wants peace, but it started the war itself.” Still, in a gathering like this, I will say once again where the truth lies. And the truth is that it was not us who wanted or started fighting; they started fighting against us.

There was no need for years to encourage aggressive nationalism and Russophobia in Ukraine with the aim of turning it into an instrument of struggle against Russia. NATO did not need to begin the military development of our historical territories in the interests of the organization itself. To plan its bases there.

There was no need to push radicals in Kyiv toward a coup, and then to pump the illegal regime created in this way, in essence, with all kinds of offensive weapons.

There was no need to draw up plans to organize concentration camps for the residents of Donbas and Crimea. There was no need to crush people with tanks, pelt them with missiles, shoot them with aircraft and burn unarmed people alive. Only because they are Russian by nationality and by spirit.

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