Putin says Russia is not preparing for hostilities with Europe
The denial comes as Russian and US envoys discuss a possible halt to strikes on energy sites and Kyiv reports new strikes on Russian refineries
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Vladimir Putin said Russia is not preparing for any hostilities with Europe. He said Moscow is ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv once Ukraine's elections are held, while accusing Ukrainian forces of striking Moscow and attacking polling stations.
Putin also said Kyiv has begun attacks on civilian infrastructure and must now face the consequences.
The statement comes as diplomatic contacts continue. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russia's Kirill Dmitriev in Washington, following Dmitriev's talks there on Wednesday and a session between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov in New York, according to CNN. Separately, US and Russian envoys are meeting in Washington over a possible halt to strikes on energy sites. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine struck two refineries inside Russia overnight.
The denial follows weeks of warnings from Paris. Emmanuel Macron said Russia could be preparing to mobilize 300,000 more troops as tensions with Moscow rise, and he has pitched a two-way freeze on strikes against energy infrastructure, saying Russia treats Europe as Ukraine's strategic depth. The European Defence Agency has said Europe is not rearming fast enough to meet its 2030 defense targets.
Putin's statement runs against that pattern of escalation warnings from Paris and the continued military activity around Ukraine's energy sites. A genuine de-escalation signal would ease markets that have already priced in elevated geopolitical risk and higher European defense spending, but the concurrent military activity and posturing over negotiation terms leave room for skepticism about Russia's intentions.