Ukraine conflict "pretext to take various steps" against countries having economic ties with Russia: Putin

Beijing: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday described the Ukraine conflict as a mere "pretext" by Western powers to take broader punitive measures against countries maintaining strong economic ties with Russia.

During a media interaction following his four-day visit to China, the Russian President dismissed the relevance of the Ukraine situation to recent trade actions, noting that the narrative was being deliberately exploited to justify trade restrictions and tariffs that, in reality, serve unrelated political or economic agendas.

In response to a question about Europe's impending sanctions targeting not only Russia but also its trading partners, Putin stated, "Well, surprisingly enough, we almost didn't mention this in our conversations because it's not really something that concerns us. Because the Ukraine situation is only a pretext to take various steps against countries that have economic ties with us."

He also pointed out the imposition of additional tariffs on Brazil earlier in August as an example of sanctions that had no direct connection to the Ukraine conflict.

The Russian leader argued that the true reason behind many of these sanctions lies in growing economic imbalances between the West, particularly the United States, and other major economies like India, China, and Brazil.

"There is a trade disproportion between the United States and India or with China, but there is no situation between Brazil and the United States, for example. And, by the way, Brazil faced additional tariffs on the 6th of August, even though the deadline was the 8th of August. So what does Ukraine have to do with this? Nothing. It's only about domestic politics... Ukraine doesn't have anything to do with that. So, of course, there is some imbalance in trade, but I believe that those should be addressed through negotiations," the Russian President added.

This remark was a response to global economic concerns stemming from the tariff policies introduced by US President Donald Trump, which have caused friction with certain countries on the international stage, particularly the tariffs he has imposed on India and China.

New Delhi is facing global uncertainties due to heightened economic tensions following the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, including an additional 25 per cent due to its purchase of Russian crude oil, which, according to Washington, fuels Moscow's efforts in its conflict with Ukraine.