Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West’s desire to maintain its dominance on the world stage increases the risks of conflict, Reuters reports.

“The potential for conflict in the world is growing, and this is a direct consequence of the attempts of Western elites to preserve their political, financial, military and ideological dominance by any means,” Putin said.

The Russian leader spoke in a video message released by the Kremlin to the summit of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the group of former Soviet countries.

“They are deliberately increasing chaos and worsening the international situation,” Putin said.

He also accused the West of “exploiting” Ukraine and using its population as “cannon fodder” in the conflict against Russia.

Putin has repeatedly presented the war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation,” as a conflict between Russia and the West, criticizing those who provided Ukraine with military and financial support.

Kyiv, European countries and Washington say Moscow has used security concerns as a pretext to launch a cynical war of aggression against its pro-European neighbor in an attempt to seize territory and oust President Volodymyr Zelensky.