Putin argues Kyiv's rejection of Minsk agreements was reason for full-scale invasion, says that West will have to agree on "common future"

He stated this during his speech at the Valdai Forum.

The Russian leader said that this was an "inevitable logic of events" that was not invented by Russia. He also accused Ukraine of killing the "ex-head" of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic, which led to the escalation of the conflict.

“Representatives of the Kyiv regime publicly refused to implement the Minsk agreements. They publicly stated that they were not satisfied with any of the clauses, and directly stated that they would not do this. The former president signed the agreements with the understanding that he would not implement them,” Putin said.

He emphasized that the recognition of the "independence" of Donbas is the only decision that the Russian Federation could make, and that becoming a part of Russia is solely the "will" of the people.

“For us, this meant that we had to do something. We had to do something with Donbas - people have been living under shelling for 8 years, and the shelling continues to this day. We had to decide something: recognize their independence. But you cannot recognize their independence and simply abandon it - they will not survive themselves,” the Russian president said. 

He also commented on Russia's relations with the West, and noted that currently the world has "two ways" - either to accumulate problems or to go to an "equal conversation about a common future" and together look for solutions to resolve conflicts.

“There are two ways before humanity - either continue to accumulate problems that will sooner or later crush us, or together look for solutions - not ideal, but working. Which will make our world more stable and safe. Sooner or later, the West will have to start an equal conversation about a common future. And the sooner, the better,” Putin said.

The Russian leader accused the West of igniting the war in Ukraine, staging provocations in Taiwan, destabilizing the world food and energy markets and destroying European gas pipelines. He stated that even last year, Russia offered to build trust and build collective security systems, but the world rejected these proposals.

“Power over the world is what the so-called West is banking on in its own game. But this is a dangerous game. It’s a bloody game and it’s a dirty game. It denies all the sovereignties of countries, and their uniqueness, it doesn’t take into consideration the interests of other countries.This is something that is not recognized, but what we see in practice,” the dictator said.

• On October 21, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said that "Putin has become more open to negotiations."