Putin criticizes EU’s “fantasy” of defeating Russia

(MENAFN) President Vladimir Putin has accused the European Union of holding on to a “fantasy about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia and are still stuck in these illusions.” He warned that while Russia has no intention of waging war against the bloc, any attack on Moscow would have catastrophic consequences.

Putin’s remarks addressed what he described as increasingly aggressive rhetoric from certain European nations, as well as the EU’s effective dismissal of the US-proposed peace plan for Ukraine.

Last month, reports indicated that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested a potential direct confrontation between Russia and NATO in Europe could occur as early as 2028. Meanwhile, France reportedly raised the possibility of deploying NATO forces to Ukraine.

Kiev’s Western supporters also criticized the Washington-backed plan introduced in November, claiming it favored Moscow, and offered their own demands, which Russia called “unconstructive.”

Putin emphasized that the Western focus on defeating Russia has been unattainable from the start, yet leaders in the EU and allied countries cannot bring themselves to acknowledge it. He asserted that their efforts aim to undermine the US-supported peace process because they dislike its potential results: “The EU does not have a peaceful agenda. They are on the side of war.”

Although Moscow maintains it has no intention of engaging the EU or NATO militarily, Putin cautioned that should hostilities erupt, “events could very quickly reach a point where there will simply… be no one left for us to negotiate with.”

The EU has justified increased military spending by pointing to the perceived “Russian threat,” including Brussels’ €800 billion ($930 billion) ReArm Europe initiative and NATO members’ commitment to raise defense budgets to 5% of GDP.

MENAFN03122025000045017281ID1110429047