Vladimir Putin has vowed to quickly retaliate against Europe’s “escalating militarisation”, while dismissing as “nonsense” western fears that Moscow plans to attack Nato.
During a wide-ranging speech in Sochi on Thursday, the Russian president said: “We are closely monitoring the escalating militarisation of Europe … We simply cannot ignore what is happening. We have no right to do so for reasons of our own security.”
“I think no one doubts that Russia’s countermeasures will not be long in coming,” he added, speaking at the Valdai plenary session, an annual gathering of officials and foreign policy experts where Putin often sets out his views on global affairs.
His remarks came as 45 European leaders gathered in Copenhagen for a summit aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine and accelerating defence projects intended to ensure the continent is capable of deterring Russian aggression. The meeting followed turbulent weeks in which several European countries reported Russian drone and jet incursions, raising fears that Moscow was testing Nato’s resolve.
While threatening Europe, the Russian president struck a conciliatory note towards Donald Trump, despite the US leader’s recent disparaging remarks about him.
In what appeared to be an attempt to win back Trump’s favour, Putin lavished praise on him, claiming that “if Trump had been in power, the conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided” – a line the US president has often used himself in public speeches.
Both Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have spent months trying to court Trump over the war in Ukraine, as the US leader has repeatedly shifted his stance.
In recent weeks, Kyiv appeared to gain the upper hand, with Trump expressing disappointment in Putin for prolonging the fighting and dismissing Russia’s economy and military as a “paper tiger”.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump recently authorised US intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to help Kyiv carry out strikes deep inside Russian territory – a move which would amount to a significant shift in US policy under his leadership.
Zelenskyy has also lobbied Washington for Tomahawk cruise missiles, Barracudas and other long-range US-made weapons capable of hitting targets up to 500 miles away.
As on previous occasions when criticised by Trump, Putin brushed it off, seemingly counting on the US leader to change his mind.
He described Trump as a “comfortable interlocutor” who knows “how to listen” and said Moscow was seeking a “full-scale restoration” of relations with the US, praising Trump’s administration for its “directness and lack of hypocrisy”.
Responding to Trump’s “paper tiger” jab, Putin suggested the remark might have been ironic, saying: “If we are comfortable being at war with the whole Nato bloc, but we’re a paper tiger, then what is Nato?”
The Russian leader also praised Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, saying former UK prime minister Tony Blair – expected to play a central role in the initiative – could “make a positive contribution”.
Putin then digressed to recall how he once stayed overnight at Blair’s home and the two had coffee together the next morning “in their pyjamas”.
The tone was notably harsher when it came to Europe, with most of Putin’s ire directed at the continent, blaming “European elites” for obstructing peace in Ukraine and “whipping up hysteria” in the region.
He said: “It turns out that war with the Russians is practically on the doorstep. They repeat this nonsense, this mantra, over and over again … They can’t believe what they’re saying, that Russia is going to attack Nato? They’re either incredibly incompetent if they truly believe it, because it’s impossible to believe this nonsense, or they’re simply dishonest.”
Putin also condemned France’s arrest this week of the crew on an oil tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which was suspected of serving as a launchpad for drone flights that forced Danish airports to close last week.
He said: “The tanker was seized without any grounds in neutral waters. This is piracy.”
On the war in Ukraine, there was no sign that Putin was seeking compromise or scaling back his maximalist goal of forcing Kyiv’s capitulation.
Despite Russia’s modest recent progress on the battlefield, he insisted that his forces were “confidently advancing” along the entire front.
Putin also claimed Ukraine was suffering far greater losses than Russia – even though western estimates put Russian casualties at close to a million, higher than Ukraine’s.
“Given Ukraine’s losses, Kyiv should think seriously about starting negotiations,” Putin said.
Joining European leaders in Copenhagen, Zelenskyy said Russia was “stepping up its destructive actions” and urged Europe to show the “political will” to act without delay.
The Ukrainian president said: “We see clearly that only joint action and united efforts can guarantee real security. No country should be left alone against this threat.” He called on Europe to “increase the pressure, and increase the pressure now, so that Russia is forced to end the war and change its policy”.
