Vladimir Putin says Western aggression provoked the Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin told naval personnel that aggressive actions by Western countries over many years forced Moscow to launch the "special military operation" in Ukraine. He argued that the West broke a promise made to Mikhail Gorbachev not to expand NATO eastward, citing repeated NATO enlargement and the overthrow of Ukraine's former president as key triggers.

Putin also warned that the West has ignored international law and cited past interventions such as in Yugoslavia. He affirmed Russia’s readiness to cooperate in the Arctic while defending its interests, including the Northern Sea Route.