Putin Admits Major Failure

The head of the Russian Federation has been outplayed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has for the first time directly admitted the failure of nearly a quarter-century of his diplomatic efforts to "keep Kyiv in the orbit of Moscow's influence," The Moscow Times reports.

Russia, he said, has a claim on southeastern Ukraine.

As a result of Putin's diplomatic blunders, the Russian military, before whom the president made this statement, were "forced" to unleash the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides in nearly two years.

According to Putin's version, which he outlined at a meeting of the Defence Ministry board on Tuesday, the main reason for the war in Ukraine is US attempts to "drag Ukraine into NATO".

"And I was told so all the time: what are you afraid of, we won't take them now. I was saying: it's for now, but about tomorrow? And when will this tomorrow come? A year from now, two years from now? From the point of view of historical prospects and the strategic interests of the Russian state, this is not acceptable even in 10, 15 years. What is 'not today'? And tomorrow?" Putin relayed his "conversations" with unnamed "interlocutors" in the West to the military and officials present at the collegium.

Putin said Russia's "political focus" was on southeastern Ukraine.

Next, Putin told his favourite story about how "the West arranged a coup d'état in Ukraine".

"The West, especially there, across the ocean, they were watching it with pleasure. In this sense, they certainly, if I may say so, outplayed us."