Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that any attempts by the West to seize Russian assets "will be theft and will not go unpunished," during a meeting with Russian foreign ministry leaders. He explained that Western countries are trying to find "some legal basis" for freezing these assets, stating, "However, despite all attempts at deception, theft remains theft and will not go unpunished."
Putin accused the West of implementing an "ideology aimed at dismembering Russia by exploiting territories near our borders." Additionally, he expressed his belief that "the time has come for a broad discussion on bilateral and multilateral guarantees for collective security."
The Russian president stated that the future security structure should be open to all Eurasian countries that wish to participate, including NATO member states. Regarding the war in Ukraine, Putin asserted that "Russia did not start the war" and accused what he referred to as the "Kyiv regime" of initiating the conflict and continuing combat operations.
He revealed that "in 2022, Russian forces approached Kyiv, and there were various options, but no decisions were made to storm the city." He mentioned that "Russia offered Ukraine to withdraw its forces from Donbas and resolve the situation this way, but this initiative was rejected."
