Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sought to cast the conflict in Ukraine as part of efforts by the West to secure its global domination.

Speaking in Moscow at a conference of international policy experts, Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to dictate their terms to other nations in a “dangerous and bloody” domination game.

The West, he said, has "taken a number of steps to escalate" leading to "the destabilisation of the global food and energy markets."