Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to defend his offensive in Ukraine to Moscow's allies, blaming the West for provoking the three-year conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.

"This crisis was not caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine, but was the result of a coup in Ukraine that was supported and provoked by the West," Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

This is a reference to the pro-European revolution in Ukraine in 2013-2014, which ousted the pro-Russian president.

Moscow responded by annexing the Crimean peninsula and supporting pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country, which sparked a civil war.

"The second reason for the crisis is the West's constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO," the Russian president added, quoted by AFP.

Putin was speaking at the SCO summit, which was attended by Russian allies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Moscow and Beijing present the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as an alternative to Western political and security blocs, including NATO.

Putin said the world needs "a system that replaces outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models and takes into account the interests of the widest range of countries".

"We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals of China, India, and our other strategic partners aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis," he added.

Although US President Donald Trump called on both Moscow and Kyiv to reach an agreement to end the war, the peace proposals failed.

Putin rejected calls for a ceasefire and set tough territorial and political demands — calling on Ukraine to cede more territory and renounce Western support — as preconditions for peace.

Kyiv rejected them as unacceptable.

The Russian leader said he would discuss diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and his latest talks with Trump during a series of bilateral meetings.

Later today, he will meet with Modi, Pezeshkian, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for separate talks. | BGNES