WEB DESK

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his position that Russia did not start the war in Ukraine but launched what it calls a special military operation to try to stop it. During his yearly speech to Valdai Discussion Club, in Sochi yesterday, Mr Putin said, Russia, the world’s largest country by area, had no need to take territory from Ukraine. He said, the conflict was not therefore imperial or territorial but about the global order. He said, the West after losing its hegemonic power, has also lost touch with reality.