Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the coming decade will be the “most dangerous” since the end of World War II, while accusing the West of seeking to dominate the world.
“Ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time important decade since the end of the Second World War,” Putin told members of the annual Valdai Discussion Club, adding that the situation is “to a certain extent revolutionary.”
The Ukraine offensive is only a part of the “tectonic shifts of the entire world order,” Putin said.
“The historical period of undivided dominance of the West in world affairs is coming to an end. The unipolar world is becoming a thing of the past,” he said.
“We are at a historical frontier,” he added.
Putin added that the West is not able to “single-handedly govern humanity” but is “desperately trying to do it”.
“Most peoples of the world no longer want to put up with it,” he said.
Putin also said that Moscow is trying to “defend its right to exist” in the face of Western efforts to “destroy” his country.
“Russia is not challenging the elites of the West, Russia is just trying to defend its right to exist,” he said.