MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that bloc confrontation and the West's pursuit of unilateral security advantages lie at the heart of the current global security crisis.
Speaking at the plenary session of the 23rd annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, he warned that rhetoric seeking a "strategic defeat" of Russia carries severe risks of pushing the conflict into its most brutal phase.
Putin said the West had for years nurtured aggressive nationalism and Russophobia in Ukraine, seeking to turn the country into a geopolitical instrument against Russia. Moscow's actions were a response to tangible threats to its own security, he said.
The path out of conflict lies not in defeating one side, but in mutual compromise and a restored stable balance of forces, he said, adding that Europe must abandon bloc thinking and return to the principle of equal and indivisible security.
On world order, Putin stated the old unipolar system is collapsing and the world is becoming multipolar. Western nations must adapt to this reality and cooperate while respecting the core interests of most countries, he said.
He added that international relations require adherence not merely to written law, but also the spirit of law, established customs and moral restraints. Systematic breach of obligations and the transformation of diplomatic dialogue into propaganda erode the foundations of coexistence between states, he said.
Putin said Russia stands ready to work with other nations to draw a roadmap toward a more stable multipolar international order.
Founded in 2004, the Valdai Discussion Club held annual forum this year in Moscow under the theme: "Responsibility for the Future: Limits of the Possible, or Limitless Possibilities?" It gathered around 120 delegates from 40 countries and regions. ■
