ST. PETERSBURG, July 29. /TASS/. The West has been preparing for a hybrid war with Russia for years, trying to harm its position in the world and to undermine its statehood, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the African peace mission for Ukraine.

"We believe that the problem has not emerged yesterday and it was provoked by certain powers in the West that have been preparing for a hybrid war against our country for years, who did everything to turn Ukraine into an instrument for undermining the basis of Russia’s security, for harming Russia’s positions in the world, and for undermining of our statehood. I say this with good reason," Putin said.

He assured that Moscow carefully examined the proposals of African states on Ukrainian settlement.

“We have carefully analyzed the ideas and considerations, expressed by our African friends; we treat it very seriously and with great attention,” the Russian president said. He expressed his hope that his African counterparts “understand the nature and the origins of this crisis well.”

“We tried to convey our perception of this problem,” Putin noted.