"NATO and the United States have not learned a lesson that Russia taught them by recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, told reporters.

According to Medvedev, in 2008 he had to make a difficult decision relating to “the recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia."

"By political will and through military forces, Russia saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and it taught an objective lesson to NATO, the United States, all those who had aggressive intentions against Russian citizens. However, NATO learned the lesson poorly and continued to move closer to Russia's borders cynically, expanding the circle of potential members of the alliance," he said.

Medvedev believes the West helped Kiev sabotage the Minsk agreements.

"The war against Donetsk and Luhansk was going on without rules. People were subjected to constant repression. Their houses were set on fire, they were forced to live in eternal fear, they were hiding from bombs in their basements," Medvedev said.