LONDON, (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he will have a serious discussion with the West over its accusations that he was responsible for economic disaster caused by Ukraine conflict and West’s crippling sanctions.

Russia’s invasion in Ukraine killed thousands of people and forced 14 million to flee. Meanwhile, the West’s attempts to penalize Russia and Moscow’s blocking of grain shipments out of Ukraine’s Black Sea port ports have sent oil prices, as well as cooking oil and fertilisers, skyrocketing.

Putin said to Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi (Black Sea resort) that Russia was doing very well despite Western sanctions.

Lukashenko stated that sanctions gave both countries an impetus for self-development and that elites in the West had been deceived as to the reasons behind their economic woes.

Lukashenko stated to Putin: “On the economic, thanks are really to them (in West), as they have given me such a push for our own development,” he smiled, and he nodded.

They underestimated the impact of inflation by reading media. But they got inflation, and the truth is that ‘Putin’ is to blame. ‘Putin’ is to blame for all of it,” Lukashenko stated.

Putin sighed and nodded.

Putin smiled forcefully, “We’ll have a serious conversation with them.”

Lukashenko smiled and answered “Yes.”