West is playing 'dangerous, bloody and dirty' game over Ukraine: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West was playing a "dangerous, bloody and dirty" game over Ukraine but that the United States and its allies would ultimately have to talk to Russia.

Putin, speaking to the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, said the West was blinded by colonialism and was trying to contain the rest of the world.

Ultimately, Putin said, the West would have to talk to Russia and other major powers about the future of the world.

"The historical period of the West's undivided dominance over world affairs is coming to an end," Putin said.

"We are standing at a historical frontier: Ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important decade since the end of World War Two."

Russia did not consider the West to be an enemy of Russia despite the current phase of confrontation, he added.

Putin said he thought constantly of the Russian losses in Ukraine. But only Russia could guarantee the territorial integrity of Ukraine, he said.

Asked about a potential nuclear escalation, Putin said the danger of nuclear weapons usage would exist as long as nuclear weapons existed.

READ MORE: Putin formally annexes four regions as Ukraine makes battlefield gains

'Dirty bomb'

But he said he had never talked about using nuclear weapons and asserted that Kiev has the technology to create and potentially detonate a "dirty bomb" in Ukraine.

"They say the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to come and check Ukraine's nuclear facilities. We are in favour. And it should be done as fast as possible," Putin said.

The Russian president added that Kiev is "doing everything to cover up traces of this preparation".

A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which are spread in an explosion.

Russia has accused Ukraine of preparing such a "dirty bomb" against Moscow's troops.

"I gave (Defence Minster Sergei) Shoigu the order to call all of his colleagues and inform them" of the plan, Putin.

Over the past week, Shoigu repeated the allegations in calls with numerous counterparts including from France, the US, the UK, China and India.

France, the US and the UK rejected the claim and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia may be trying to use the claim as a "pretext" for escalation.

Talking about Russian economy, Russian leader said that the country's economy had passed the "peak" of economic turmoil related to Western sanctions.

Western attempts to "collapse" the Russian economy had failed, and that the Russian economy had adapted to the new economic reality, he added.

The West imposed sanctions on Russia's economy after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Putin's army will be 'annihilated' if he nukes Ukraine, EU's Borrell warns