MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday dismissed Western warnings that Russia plans to attack Europe as “nonsense,” saying Moscow would not launch further wars after Ukraine if its interests were respected.
Speaking during his annual “Direct Line” televised event, Putin was asked whether Russia could carry out new “special military operations”.
“There won’t be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we’ve always tried to respect yours,” the Russian President said as quoted by BBC.
Putin added that Russia would refrain from further wars if the West did not “cheat” Moscow, repeating his long-standing claim that the expansion of NATO violated assurances given to the Soviet Union in 1990.
Putin said he was “ready and willing” to end the war peacefully, but reiterated demands previously outlined in mid-2024.
These include Ukrainian forces withdrawing from four regions partially controlled by Russia and Kyiv abandoning its bid to join NATO.
He also repeated Moscow’s demand for control over eastern Donbas, including parts of the Donetsk region.
The Russian President also said he supported peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump, but accused Western countries and European backers of Ukraine of blocking a settlement. “The ball is in the hands of our Western opponents,” Putin said.
Earlier, Western intelligence agencies had warned that Russia could pose a future military threat to NATO countries, a claim Putin rejected outright.
NATO officials have said that Europe must prepare for long-term security challenges.
US proposes direct Ukraine–Russia talks
On Saturday, Zelensky said that the US has proposed the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on ending the war.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said he was heading to Miami, while Ukrainian and European teams were also in the American city for the negotiations, mediated by Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“They proposed this format as far as I understand: Ukraine, America, Russia,” Zelensky said, adding that the Europeans could be present and it would be “logical to hold such a joint meeting… after we understand the potential results of the meeting that has already taken place”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that he may join the talks on Saturday in Miami.
Dmitriev wrote in an X post that he was “on the way to Miami”.
