KEY POINTS
- Putin warned of a “significant response” to Europe’s growing militarisation.
- He accused Europe of stoking “hysteria” to justify rising defence spending.
- Tensions rose after alleged Russian drone incursions in Denmark, Estonia and Poland.
- Macron urged Europe to shoot down drones violating airspace.
- Russia’s foreign ministry claimed NATO and EU are fuelling instability.
SOCHI, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned that Moscow would deliver a “significant response” to what he called Europe’s growing “militarisation”, as he addressed a foreign policy forum in southern Russia.
“We are closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe,” he told the audience, adding: “Retaliatory measures by Russia will not take long. The response to such threats will be very significant.”
“Russia will never show weakness or indecisiveness,” Putin added.
Relations between Russia and the EU spiralled downward after the Ukraine war, leading the bloc to bolster its defence.
Alleged drone incidents in Denmark and alleged aerial incursions from Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that the Ukraine war could spill over Europe’s borders.
Putin accused Europe of stoking up “hysteria” to excuse rising military spending and said Russia wasn’t a threat. “Just calm down,” the Russian President said.
European positions harden
European Union leaders are floating the idea of a “drone wall” of defences after alleged air incursions by Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Europe must take a more aggressive approach with Russia by shooting down drones that enter European airspace.
Speaking at a European summit in Copenhagen, Macron and other European leaders called for more sanctions against Russia and emphasized that Ukraine is on the front line in a war against Europe.
Macron urged the more than 40 leaders at the European Political Community summit to simply protect their interests without signaling their intentions to Putin.
“I think the main answer should be more unpredictability and more strategic ambiguity,” he said.
“It’s very important to have a clear message: drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop,” he said. “We are not here to provide the full notice. We will do what we have to do.”
Rhetoric to justify military build-up
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Thursday that anti-Russian statements from NATO and the European Union are part of a broader effort to provoke conflict and justify increased defence spending.
Speaking at a news briefing, Zakharova alleged that Western powers are preparing “a chain of provocations” and manipulating tensions around Ukraine to serve political interests.
She accused NATO countries of fuelling instability in Europe and expanding their military-industrial complex under the guise of countering Russia.
