Vladimir Putin has made the startling claim that the West is responsible for the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian dictator said he was doing all he could to stop the war despite continuing to launch missile and drone strikes on civilians. He also claimed Western people were friendly to him and Russia.

According to Metro, The Russian president made his shocking claims during a visit to Sarov, a closed town where the Soviet Union developed their nuclear weapons. They report that he insisted 'there is propaganda working' in the West for the purposes of 'brainwashing people and claiming that we started the war'.

Last month was the deadliest since Putin launched his full-scale war on Ukraine three and a half years ago. In July alone, 286 civilians were killed and another 1,388, according to official data.

Reports of the Russian president's demands have emerged following the summit in Alaska - as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to fly to Washington DC to see Donald Trump for the next stage of talks.

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Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin is “just laughing” and laying “a trap” for the West to walk into if Ukraine ends up giving up land to Russia as part of a potential peace deal to end the war, the European Union’s top diplomat said Friday.