Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday reiterated Moscow’s stance on the Ukraine conflict, asserting that it was not the result of an “invasion” but of a coup d’état in Kyiv backed by Western allies. He made the remarks while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin.
Putin appreciated the role of India and China in efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis and said he would share details from his recent Alaska meeting with US President Donald Trump during bilateral engagements with SCO leaders.
“The crisis in Ukraine did not arise as the result of an ‘invasion,’ but as a result of a coup d’état in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine’s Western allies,” Putin said. He further noted that understandings reached at the Alaska summit with Trump had “opened the way to peace in Ukraine.”
The Russian President also stressed the growing role of the SCO in shaping a new Eurasian security framework, moving beyond what he described as outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. “The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in trade settlements among SCO countries, and the pace of development within the SCO is impressive,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the SCO to uphold fairness and justice, reject “Cold War mentality,” and resist bloc confrontations.
The Tianjin summit highlighted the rising importance of multipolarity in global governance, with leaders emphasizing the SCO’s role as a counterbalance to unilateral approaches.
On the sidelines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared images of his interactions with Putin and Xi Jinping, posting on X: “Always a delight to meet President Putin!” In one set of photos, Modi and Putin were seen greeting each other warmly before walking together towards Xi for the SCO family photo.
