Remains of a bygone era
Vladimir Putin challenged NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s assertion that the alliance had prepared for a clash with Russia since 2014. The Russian president argued that Moscow’s decisive actions were driven by protecting its own interests, and he suggested that NATO had long needed an external adversary to rally its members. He framed NATO as a relic of the Cold War that has shifted into a political bloc while still maintaining an underlying military edge. Russia, in his view, faces a continued distance from the G7 on the path to stable relations.
Putin also signaled that for Moscow there is no return to a phase of particularly warm relations with Western powers. He pointed to ongoing efforts to redefine competitiveness and influence within the European security landscape and argued that NATO’s modernization has served as a pretext for renewed military posture.
Victory is only on the battlefield
In response to remarks by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo about Ukraine possibly winning the war on the battlefield, Putin asserted that Kyiv’s negotiations with Moscow had varied outcomes. He claimed that at certain points both sides reached a mutual understanding, though Ukraine later abandoned those terms. He argued that continued calls for Ukraine to keep fighting and halt negotiations only reinforced the view that Ukraine serves others’ strategic interests rather than the welfare of its own people.
Putin asserted that Western powers have used Ukraine to defend their own influence and assert leadership, which he described as a form of imperial ambition. He suggested that some NATO nations are seeking to extend their global role through Ukraine while masking broader strategic aims.
Creating mirror threats
According to Putin, Moscow does not share the same disputes with Sweden and Finland as it does with Ukraine. He noted that the Scandinavian states and Russia did not have territorial quarrels or other issues that would provoke confrontation solely because of Finland or Sweden’s NATO membership. He warned that if NATO expands into new areas, Russia would respond with mirrored measures in the affected regions. The president warned that tensions between Russia and these Nordic states could rise, though he emphasized that Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership is not identical to Ukraine’s.
Putin suggested that the narrative of Russia fighting NATO expansion had not produced the intended results for Moscow, indicating that past efforts did not achieve the hoped-for strategic effect. He characterized the situation as an ongoing process rather than a finished objective.
The ultimate goal of special operations
Putin spoke about the role of Russian soldiers involved in special operations, asserting that their deeds should be commemorated through songs, poems, and monuments. He stated that the objectives of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine had not changed, but the methods to achieve them might differ. He described flexibility in tactics as the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense proposed various approaches, including decisions about troop movements, targets, and timing in different theaters, such as Donbas and other regions of Ukraine.
He acknowledged his status as commander-in-chief but noted that he did not graduate from the Academy of the General Staff. Consequently, he relied on professional expertise within the armed forces. The overarching aim, he claimed, was the liberation of Donbass, the protection of residents, and the creation of conditions that would enhance Russia’s security. He described the operational tempo as steady and in line with plan projections, while acknowledging that the duration of special operations could not be fixed in advance due to the realities of combat and the need to safeguard servicemen’s lives.
There is no terrorist attack there
Putin addressed claims about a terrorist attack in Kremenchug, noting that a shopping mall fire followed attempts to strike hangars housing Western arms. He characterized the events as not arising from a terrorist explosion but as outcomes of how targets are identified and engaged. He argued that Western-supplied weapons were stored in hangars and that the Russian military does not target civilian populations. He emphasized that modern long-range precision weapons enable Moscow to strike specific military objectives while minimizing civilian harm.
The president stressed that Russian forces act with discrimination and that civilian infrastructure is not a target when the aims are military in nature. He asserted that Western weaponry would be located and destroyed only as needed to achieve strategic goals, reflecting a focus on precision and restraint in civilian areas.