Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hailed the new “multipolar world” at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) focused on the conflict in Ukraine, as his ally Belarus became the latest member of the security and defence organization. Putin argued in the Kazakh capital Astana that Russia has always advocated a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine – which began with the Russian invasion in February 2022 – and stated that Moscow had put forward a number of proposals to achieve peace. The Russian leader held talks with several heads of state at the conference, inclu…