Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday expressed concern about the growing threat of a third world war, pointing to the escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as dangerous flashpoints.
"There is a lot of potential for conflict now," Putin said in a speech at the St. Petersburg forum. "We are concerned about the possibility of a global war. All conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means."
He criticized NATO for expanding eastward, saying the alliance continues to disregard Russia's security interests. "This is yet another vestige of the West's neocolonial policy," he claimed.
Putin also said US President Donald Trump had pledged to support Russia's request to guarantee the safety of its personnel at Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility.
On the Middle East, Putin commented on Israel's reported threat to assassinate Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, saying: "I hope this remains just rhetoric."
Reaffirming his position on Ukraine, with the war now in its fourth year, he said: "I believe the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are one. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours. Wherever a Russian soldier steps is ours."
