SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has lambasted the West’s double standards in regard to conflicts around the world.

Putin recalled at a meeting with participants of the World Youth Festival that the United States took action in Iraq, Syria, and former Yugoslavia without the UN Security Council’s approval.

"Well, if they have permission, why are not other countries allowed to protect their vital interests in the same manner?" he asked rhetorically.

The Russian president told the meeting how the West justified its bombardment of Yugoslavia.

"My counterparts used to tell me repeatedly, ‘Well, yes, we did it without the [UN] Security Council’s resolutions.’ But the war had been raging there for so many years. Eight years of bloodshed! Something had to be done!" Putin recounted the words of his counterparts.