Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led Ukrainian government an "illegitimate regime," adding that it was founded after a "coup" in 2014.
What Happened: Putin, at an economic forum, on Wednesday repeated his assertion and rejected assertions that Russia had violated international law by invading its neighbor in February, Reuters reported.
He added that Russia's invasion was aimed at strengthening the country's sovereignty and was designed for "helping people" living in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
"We have not lost anything and will not lose anything," Putin said. "In terms of what we have gained, I can say that the main gain has been the strengthening of our sovereignty," he added.
Putin said a global food crisis is looming, adding that there was a need to amend the landmark grain deal with Ukraine to limit the countries that can receive cargo shipments, as he alleged that it was rich Western countries that were taking advantage of it.
"If we exclude Turkey as an intermediary country, then almost all the grain exported from Ukraine is sent not to the poorest developing countries but to European Union countries," he said.
"Once again, developing countries have simply been deceived and continue to be deceived. It is obvious that with this approach, the scale of food problems in the world will only increase ... which can lead to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," he added.
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