Moscow, September 27, 2026 — The Europe Today: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is not preparing for military action against European countries, describing claims of a Russian threat as an attempt to escalate tensions and justify continued support for Ukraine.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 12th United Cultures Forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said European countries were contributing to heightened tensions in order to maintain their support for Ukraine.
He accused what he described as “aggressive circles” in Europe of seeking to use Ukraine as “cannon fodder” to constrain Russia’s development.
Putin also criticized remarks by Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur concerning a possible conflict with Russia, calling them a “provocation.” He described statements suggesting that a pre-emptive attack on Russia could be beneficial as “political clownery.”
“The circus has left, but the clowns remain,” Putin said.
Addressing the possibility of renewed negotiations with Kyiv, the Russian president said Moscow would make any decision based on Russia’s national interests. He said Ukraine had been increasingly raising the prospect of a ceasefire, including a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure and an end to the blockade of Russia’s Black Sea coast, while continuing to carry out strikes against Russian targets.
Putin said Russia had responded to attacks on civilian targets, citing what he described as the “mass” Ukrainian attack on Moscow on September 20, as well as attacks on residential buildings and election officials.
He characterized Russia’s retaliatory strikes as “sensitive and destructive” for Ukrainian forces.
“They must feel these retaliatory strikes by Russia and understand that no provocative actions, no escalation of the situation will lead to the result they want. They will only make their position worse,” Putin said.
The Russian president further argued that claims that Moscow intends to attack Europe were being used to justify continued European spending on support for Ukraine and to explain such policies to the public.
“This is complete nonsense,” Putin said.
