The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has rejected this Friday that Moscow is preparing a military operation against the European Union and has accused the community countries of "deliberately exaggerating" the Russian danger to legitimize the increase in defense spending and support for the Ukrainian government.
During his speech at the International Culture Forum held in Saint Petersburg, the Kremlin leader insisted that Russia does not contemplate a direct confrontation with the Twenty-Seven. "I want to emphasize once again that we are not preparing for any kind of combat with Europe. We have no plans of that kind and, more importantly, there are no real reasons that justify an aggravation of the situation," he pointed out.
These words come in a context of reinforcement of NATO's military devices, which in recent weeks has warned of the possibility of Russian hybrid attacks on European soil in the near future.
Putin has criticized the rhetoric of several European capitals that anticipate a Russian aggression to justify their military preparation. "Everyone is talking, many in Europe say they expect an attack from the Russian Federation and that, for that reason, they must prepare themselves for military actions, for war with Russia," he stated.
In the framework of these contingency plans in the event of a potential attack, Germany is training its healthcare system to manage mass hospital discharges and to face a possible influx of war casualties. At the same time, Poland is reinforcing its border defenses and instructing the civilian population, while Lithuania is strengthening the permanent deployment of allied troops on its territory.
In response to these measures, the Russian leader has described the warnings issued from the West about a supposed imminent offensive by Russia as a "provocation." In his view, European leaders "are trying to deceive their citizens" by fueling the fear of war with the aim of prolonging the conflict in Ukraine.
In this line, he has accused Western powers of using the Ukrainian front to their advantage. "They want to continue using Ukraine and Ukrainians as cannon fodder, and the Ukrainian state as an instrument to hinder and prevent the development of Russia," he asserted.
Putin has concluded by attacking the current European and Atlantic maneuvers, which he interprets as a way to "continue investing money in absolutely aggressive politics" and, at the same time, "explain to his citizens why they do it, trying to deceive them."