Beijing, Sept. 4 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (local time) described the Ukraine conflict as a mere "pretext" by Western powers to take broader punitive measures against countries maintaining strong economic ties with Russia.

During a media interaction following his four-day visit to China, the Russian President dismissed the relevance of the Ukraine situation to recent trade actions, noting that the narrative was being deliberately exploited to justify trade restrictions and tariffs that, in reality, serve unrelated political or economic agendas.

In response to a question about Europe's impending sanctions targeting not only Russia but also its trading partners, Putin stated, "Well, surprisingly enough, we almost di...