ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. The conflict in Ukraine is a war that the West has declared on Russia, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit.

"This is not a war between Russia and Ukraine, there is no conflict between Russia and Ukraine," he said. "This is a war that NATO countries have declared on Russia. And this war is not for Russia, but for hegemony and dominance in the entire world," the Eritrean president said.

This agenda was formulated after the end of the Cold War, he went on to say. "They (Western countries - TASS) are trying to keep absolutely everyone in check," Afwerki emphasized. "This ideology is flawed. <...> NATO is a flawed organization, NATO is now on life support, and the European Union does not exist, it is also in intensive care," the president stressed.

"Russia cannot be held back," he added. "And they will never be able to do this," President Afwerki summed up.