Vladimir Putin has vowed to quickly retaliate against Europe\u2019s \u201cescalating militarisation\u201d, while dismissing as \u201cnonsense\u201d western fears that Moscow plans to attack Nato.<\/p>\n
During a wide-ranging speech in Sochi on Thursday, the Russian president said: \u201cWe are closely monitoring the escalating militarisation of Europe<\/a> \u2026 We simply cannot ignore what is happening. We have no right to do so for reasons of our own security.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think no one doubts that Russia\u2019s countermeasures will not be long in coming,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n His remarks came as 45 European leaders gathered in Copenhagen<\/a> 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\u2019s resolve.<\/p>\n While threatening Europe, the Russian president struck a conciliatory note towards Donald Trump, despite the US leader\u2019s recent disparaging remarks about him.<\/a><\/p>\n In what appeared to be an attempt to win back Trump\u2019s favour, Putin lavished praise on him, claiming that \u201cif Trump had been in power, the conflict in Ukraine<\/a> could have been avoided\u201d \u2013 a line the US president has often used himself in public speeches.<\/p>\n Both Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> have spent months trying to court Trump over the war in Ukraine, as the US leader has repeatedly shifted his stance.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, Kyiv appeared to gain the upper hand, with Trump expressing disappointment in Putin for prolonging the fighting and dismissing Russia\u2019s economy and military as a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 a move which would amount to a significant shift in US policy under his leadership.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n As on previous occasions when criticised by Trump, Putin brushed it off, seemingly counting on the US leader to change his mind.<\/p>\n He described Trump as a \u201ccomfortable interlocutor\u201d who knows \u201chow to listen\u201d and said Moscow was seeking a \u201cfull-scale restoration\u201d of relations with the US, praising Trump\u2019s administration for its \u201cdirectness and lack of hypocrisy\u201d.<\/p>\n Responding to Trump\u2019s \u201cpaper tiger\u201d jab, Putin suggested the remark might have been ironic, saying: \u201cIf we are comfortable being at war with the whole Nato<\/a> bloc, but we\u2019re a paper tiger, then what is Nato?\u201d<\/p>\n The Russian leader also praised Trump\u2019s plan to end the war in Gaza, saying former UK prime minister Tony Blair \u2013 expected to play a central role in the initiative<\/a> \u2013 could \u201cmake a positive contribution\u201d.<\/p>\n Putin then digressed to recall how he once stayed overnight at Blair\u2019s home and the two had coffee together the next morning \u201cin their pyjamas\u201d.<\/p>\n The tone was notably harsher when it came to Europe, with most of Putin\u2019s ire directed at the continent, blaming \u201cEuropean elites\u201d for obstructing peace in Ukraine and \u201cwhipping up hysteria\u201d in the region.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIt turns out that war with the Russians is practically on the doorstep. They repeat this nonsense, this mantra, over and over again \u2026 They can\u2019t believe what they\u2019re saying, that Russia is going to attack Nato? They\u2019re either incredibly incompetent if they truly believe it, because it\u2019s impossible to believe this nonsense, or they\u2019re simply dishonest.\u201d<\/p>\n