MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Russia is not going to become a hegemon and it does not challenge the Western elites, because a replacement of the dominant side would lead to a "new dead end", Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary meeting of the international discussion club Valdai on Thursday.

"Russia is not challenging the elites of the West. Russia is simply defending its right to existence and to free development. At the same time, we are not contesting the status of a new hegemon. Russia does not suggest replacing unipolarity by bipolarity, or tripolarity, or whatever, the dominance of the West by the dominance of the East, North or South. This would inevitably lead to a new dead end," Putin said.

He quoted Russian philosopher Nikolay Danilevsky’s thought progress requires "traveling about the entire field of the historical activity of humanity in all directions," because if everyone goes in the same direction, progress will quickly stop. Putin added that, according to Danilevsky, no civilization "can boast the ability to represent the highest point of development.".