Ball****21 Dec 2022 21:44
During a televised address with senior military officials, the Russian president said he continued to see Ukraine as a "brotherly nation".
In February, President Putin sent up to 200,000 troops into Ukraine sparking a war which has led to thousands of deaths.
He claimed the conflict was "the result of the policy of third countries".
The theory, which implies Western expansion is the cause, has been repeatedly dismissed outside Russia.
During his address President Putin claimed the West had "brainwashed" post-Soviet republics, starting with Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64055018