Putin speaks about 'tragedy' of Ukraine war in front of India's Modi, other G20 leaders
File photo of the Russian President Vladimir Putin
Speaking in front of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the rest of the leaders of Group of Twenty (G20) nations during the virtual summit of the world's wealthiest economies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the war in Ukraine is a "tragedy".
This was Russian President's first address in front of the G20 leaders since he announced a full-blown offensive on Ukraine in February 2022 which resulted in one of the most significant geopolitical tumults of the 21st century so far after 9/11 attacks.
Putin's offensive pushed previously neutral Finland into US-led transatlantic alliance (NATO). Sweden too formally applied for NATO membership, bringing the US forces (by virtue of them being the NATO allies) closest to Russian borders than they ever were.
Russia has also somewhat managed to evade the impact of American sanctions by sale of crude oil at lower than international prices to a number of countries and utlising the economic potential of its military-industry complex as the war raged on.
Also read |Putin trumps West's sanctions as Moscow proposes largest-ever federal budget with defence focus
"Some colleagues have already said in their speeches that they are shocked by the 'continuing aggression of Russia in Ukraine,'" Putin said on Wednesday (Nov 22).
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"Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy," he continued.
"Specific people, specific families, and the country as a whole. And, of course, we must think about how to stop this tragedy."
Russia-Ukraine war: Efforts for peace in past
Putin has accused Ukraine of failing to end the war despite having launched the offensive himself.
In June 2023, in a meeting with leaders of Africa during a purported summit aimed at initiating peace process between Russia and Ukraine, Putin said Kyiv signed a peace treaty with Moscow in the spring of 2022, and then threw it into 'garbage of history'.
"It was called treaty of permanent neutrality and security guarantees of Ukraine," Putin said, after flapping the supposed draft of the treaty in air, stating: "We never agreed with the Ukrainian side that the text will be confidential but we never showed it before nor commented on it."
"This draft of the treaty was initialled by the leader of the negotiation group from Kyiv. He put his signature. There it exists," he added while showing the supposed draft of the treaty.
Also watch |Russian history books defend invasion of Ukraine
Kremlin has said that they are ready to discuss peace talks with Ukraine as long as Western countries agree to a set of conditions, including the expansion of NATO towards and alongside the Russian borders.
(With inputs from agencies)