MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin has accused the Western nations of encouraging separatism in Russia.

Speaking to reporters in Belarus capital Minsk on Friday, Putin said, "No one has wished to pay attention to the Islamic State, as long as it operates against Russia. Explosions in Moscow, and all that. This is still happening today. No one wants to pay attention to this. Everything is fine, as long as it is against Russia."

"The same happened when the collective West encouraged separatism in our country, and such an instrument of the fight against Russia as terrorism," he said.

His comments come amid Russia's ongoing tensions with Western nations over the conflict in Ukraine.