President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to continue with Russia's year-long war in Ukraine and accused the US-led NATO alliance of fanning the flames of the conflict in the mistaken belief that it could defeat Moscow in a global confrontation. Flanked by four Russian tricolour flags, Putin told Russia's political and military elite that Russia would "carefully and consistently resolve the tasks facing us." Putin said Russia had done everything it could to avoid war, but that Western-backed Ukraine had been planning to attack Russian-controlled Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.