Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday that "the West provoked the latest Russian operation in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region by ignoring Russia's warnings and allowing Ukraine to attack the neighboring Belgorod region." He noted that attacks on Russian territory using weapons provided by the West to Ukraine are only possible with the assistance of specialists from Western countries, adding that this could lead to dire consequences.
Putin revealed that "French mercenaries have been in Ukraine for a long time and that the appearance of a regular army there would be another step towards the outbreak of a global conflict." He emphasized that "his country has never withdrawn from peace talks with Ukraine and is ready to resume them," adding that Ukraine is the one that withdrew from the negotiation process.
Commenting on Russia's recognition of the Taliban and regarding it as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, as well as the decision to remove the group from Moscow's list of terrorist organizations, Putin stated that "Moscow needs to take into account the Afghan perspective and adopt relationships with Afghanistan."
