Putin at Valdai Forum: Russia Advancing in Ukraine, NATO Fighting Against Us

Putin: NATO Fighting a War Against Russia in Ukraine

Speaking at the “Valdai” International Discussion Club meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his forces are advancing along the entire front lines in Ukraine, saying the entire NATO is now in confrontation with Moscow.

"All NATO countries are fighting against us, and they are no longer hiding it," Putin said. "Unfortunately, there are instructors (in Ukraine), and they are actually participating in combat operations. Europe has specifically created a center that basically supports everything that the Ukrainian Armed Forces do. It provides information, transmits intelligence from space, and supplies weapons and provides training."

Europe and Russia: Escalating Rhetoric

He continued: "The ruling elites of unified Europe are continuing to stoke the war with Russians almost on their doorsteps, and they repeat this nonsense over and over again. They themselves don’t believe what they’re saying, that Russia is going to attack NATO? … If they really believe that, then they are either utterly incompetent, because it is impossible to believe such nonsense, or they are simply not honest."

Earlier on Thursday, it was widely reported that the White House had authorized intelligence assistance for striking long-range targets inside Ukraine.

Russia-US Relations: A Glimmer of Hope?

Turning to the United States and the potential for improved bilateral relations, Putin said: "The current White House administration directly… and frankly states its interests and desires, without any unnecessary hypocrisy. We see that the current US administration is mainly driven by its own interests. I think this is a rational approach. But, allow me to say, Russia also reserves the right to be guided by its national interests, one of which, by the way, is the restoration of full-fledged relations with the United States."

Putin appeared to place most of the blame on Europe and its efforts to support Ukraine at all costs, while continuing to pursue an irresponsible and dangerous confrontation. He also openly criticized chauvinistic rhetoric coming from German leaders and others, vowing harsh “countermeasures.”

If US President Trump were to actually approve the transfer of long-range “Tomahawk” missiles to Kyiv, this optimistic picture of Russia-US relations would likely disappear.

Battlefield Situation and Economic Responses

As for the battlefield situation, Putin made it clear that Russia will firmly pursue its “special military operation” and that it is superior and advancing every day. “Our troops are confidently advancing along almost the entire line of contact,” he declared. “We control almost 100% of the Luhansk region, the enemy controls slightly more than 19% of the Donetsk region, and 24-25% in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, respectively. Everywhere, the Russian army confidently maintains the strategic initiative.”

Last week, Foreign Minister Lavrov made similar statements to those of Putin. Lavrov said, “NATO and the EU want to declare war, and in fact, have declared war on our country, and are directly participating in it.”

Meanwhile, on the economic front, Russia is reportedly preparing to take some countermeasures. Foreign media reported earlier that Russia is preparing a plan to confiscate foreign assets inside its territory if the EU takes steps to seize Russian central bank assets. This move comes as a reaction to the freezing of Russian assets abroad.