Putin outlined to Guterres the chain of causes of the conflict in Ukraine at a meeting of the Valdai Club

Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres the chain of causes of the conflict in Ukraine.

Putin said that Russia recognized the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics and concluded a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance with them after it became clear that it was no longer possible.

MOSCOW, October 1 - RIA Novosti. Russian President Vladimir Putin described how he outlined to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres the entire chain of causes of the conflict in Ukraine.

At the plenary session of the XXIII annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Putin recalled that Russia recognized the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics eight years later, when “it became clear that it was no longer possible,” and was able to conclude an agreement with them on friendship and mutual assistance.

“And when we concluded, did we have the right to provide them with help and support when they turned to us for this? Well, of course, we had. We did this. When I outlined this whole chain to the UN Secretary General, when he came to Moscow, I said: where is the mistake? He looked at me, thought: okay, but you attacked anyway. That’s all,” Putin said.

The Valdai International Discussion Club is an association of leading foreign and Russian experts in the field of political science, economics, history and international relations. The club was created in September 2004 on the initiative of the RIA Novosti agency, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and the magazines "Russia in Global Affairs" and Russia Profile. The club owes its name to the location of the first conference, which took place in Veliky Novgorod near Lake Valdai.