Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the massive military attack Moscow launched on Ukraine more than three years ago during his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday.
“This crisis wasn’t caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine, but rather by a coup in Ukraine supported and perpetrated by the West,” Putin said in a speech at the summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
He added, “The second reason for this crisis is the West’s persistent attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO”.
Putin’s remarks were a reference to the pro-European revolution that took place in Ukraine in 2013-2014, which ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Moscow responded by annexing Crimea and supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Putin’s speech came during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, attended by some 20 Eurasian leaders.
During the opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for opposing the Cold War mentality and the policy of intimidation in international relations.
Putin believed that the world now needed a system that would replace the outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic system and take into account the interests of the broadest circle of countries.
He added, “We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals of China, India, and other strategic partners aimed at contributing to resolving the Ukrainian crisis”.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Monday to oppose the Cold War mentality and the policy of intimidation in international relations, during the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the northern city of Tianjin, attended by approximately 20 Eurasian leaders.
Xi called for a global order based on justice, saying, “We must strengthen the historical perspective of World War II, oppose the Cold War mentality, and confront the blocs and bullying policies” pursued by some countries, a veiled reference to the United States.
The summit kicked off on Sunday in Tianjin, days before a massive military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) comprises 10 member states: China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, and 16 observer or partner states.
They represent nearly half the world’s population and 23.5% of global GDP.
It’s presented as a counterweight to NATO; Its countries possess significant energy resources.
Xi added, “The current international situation is becoming chaotic and intertwined… The security and development tasks facing member states are becoming more challenging”.
He continued, “As the world experiences turmoil and transformation, we must continue to… move forward and better perform the organization’s tasks”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Sunday morning, far from the media spotlight, despite heading a large political and economic delegation, according to Russian and Chinese state media.
Xi held a series of bilateral meetings with a number of leaders, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is making his first visit to China since 2018.
Modi told Xi that India is committed to “moving forward our relations on the basis of mutual trust and dignity”.
China and India, the world’s two most populous countries, are competing for influence in South Asia and had a bloody border clash in 2020.
But relations between the two countries began to improve last October when Modi met Xi for the first time in five years at a summit in Russia.
The summit is subject to strict security and military measures, where armored vehicles have been deployed on some streets, traffic has been cut off in large parts of Tianjin, and street banners in Mandarin and Russian have been posted praising the “Tianjin Spirit” and the “mutual trust” between Moscow and Beijing.
This summit is the most important for the organization since its establishment in 2001, and this year its being held amid multiple crises directly affecting its members, from the trade standoff between the United States, China, and India to the Russian war on Ukraine, and the Iranian nuclear issue.
Putin is scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday, after discussing the conflict in Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Tianjin on Monday, and the nuclear issue with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.
He is also scheduled to meet with the Indian prime minister on the same day.
Some leaders, including Putin and Peskov, were invited to extend their stay until Wednesday to attend a massive military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory over Japan.
To mark the occasion, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make a rare visit outside his country to meet Xi in neighboring China.
