'NATO indirectly participating in Russia-Ukraine war by sending arms': Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused NATO members of participating in the Ukraine conflict by donating arms to the country and alleged that the West planned to break up Russia.

In an interview with the Rossiya-1 channel which aired on Sunday, Putin said that NATO has been sending tens of billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine adding that the act is akin to participation in the conflict.

'NATO indirectly taking part in conflict:' Putin

He further said that the organisation is indirectly taking part in the "crimes being carried out by the Kyiv regime".

Putin stated that Western countries had the sole aim to break up the former Soviet Union and its main part, the Russian Federation.

Putin made his remarks on the sidelines of a patriotic concert in Moscow on Thursday on the eve of the first anniversary of the beginning of Russia's full-scale offensive in Ukraine.

While reiterating his calls for a multipolar world, Putin said that the world is currently being shaped only in the interests of the United States.

Fighting goes on in Ukraine

Following the commemoration of the anniversary of Russia's invasion, fighting has continued in Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported dozens of new Russian strikes and attacks on cities in the east and south.

After a solemn and defiant day of remembrance on Friday and a protracted news conference, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with new video posts the next day, declaring that "Russia must lose in Ukraine" and asserting that Russian forces can be beaten this year.