Russia’s president on Wednesday disparaged European leaders as “swine” who wanted to “feast on the collapse of Russia,” blamed the West for the war in Ukraine, and warned that Moscow would continue its full-scale invasion.
Speaking to senior military officers, Vladimir Putin threatened to expand Russia’s gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin’s demands and dismissed any chance of accepting a revised US-led peace plan. He said Russia would prefer diplomacy to achieve its aims and address what it calls the war’s “root causes,” but vowed to pursue those goals militarily if dialogue is refused.
Moscow claims those causes include Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU and NATO, NATO’s eastward expansion, alleged discrimination against ethnic Russians, and what Putin calls the “denazification” of Ukraine, though no evidence has been provided. Russian officials have long used these assertions to justify the February 2022 invasion, which Russia initiated and has refused to end or pause through a ceasefire. Putin again accused the United States, particularly the previous Biden administration, and European allies of instigating the conflict and seeking to profit from Russia’s collapse, while denouncing Europe as degraded and unlikely to return to dialogue under current leaders.
He suggested talks might resume only after political changes in Europe, while claiming the current US administration is more open to dialogue with Moscow. Putin also praised Russia’s military strength, highlighting what he said was the near-complete modernization of its nuclear arsenal and asserting that no other nuclear power can match Russia’s capabilities.
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