“Nonsense” that Russia wants to attack NATO – DW – 06.06.2024

President Vladimir Putin dismissed the claim that Moscow wanted to attack NATO as “nonsense” and denied that Russia had any “imperial ambitions”.

However, he accused Western countries, including Germany, of prolonging the conflict in Ukraine by supplying weapons to Kyiv and pointed to the possibility of an “asymmetric” response.

On German domestic politics, Putin denied any “systematic links” to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and said he saw “no signs of neo-Nazism” in the party. However, he said the Kremlin was ready to work with “anyone who is ready to cooperate with Russia.”

Putin spoke to representatives of global news agencies on the sidelines of the 27th annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) at the Lakhta Center skyscraper. It was Putin’s first such meeting with international media since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In addition to what he calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, Putin also answered questions about Russian-American relations ahead of the presidential election in November. He criticized the recent conviction of Donald Trump and confirmed that the “relevant authorities are in contact” regarding the imprisoned US journalist Evan Gershkovich.

He also stressed the importance of cooperation with the emerging Chinese economy, said Russia was ready to play a role in resolving the Middle East conflict, and said the Kremlin would try to build relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Putin: No “imperial ambitions” or desire to attack NATO

Putin strongly rejected the suggestion that Moscow had an interest in former Soviet or Russian Empire territories and stressed that Russia did not want to attack NATO.

“Don’t imagine Russia as an enemy,” he told reporters. “You made up that Russia wants to attack NATO. Have you lost your mind? Who made that up? That’s nonsense. That’s absolute nonsense.”

The idea that Russia has “imperial ambitions” is also “nonsense,” he told the AFP news agency: “There is no reason to expect any imperial ambitions from us, because there are none.”

In September 2022, Moscow illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russian troops, as well as Crimea, which has been occupied since 2014. Numerous high-ranking Russian officials, including Putin, have repeatedly pointed out that these regions were part of the Soviet Union or the former Russian Empire.

In addition, Russia continues to occupy two separatist regions of Georgia, Russian troops are still stationed in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, and Estonia and Lithuania accuse Moscow of interfering in the Baltic region – all former Soviet territories.

Putin threatens “asymmetric” response to Western support for Ukraine

Putin claimed that Russia’s losses were “several times lower” than Ukraine’s, adding: “According to our calculations, the Ukrainian army loses about 50,000 men every month.”

In February of this year, two years after the large-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed. Western intelligence officials believe the number is even higher. Ukraine now claims to have killed, wounded or captured over 500,000 Russian soldiers. US officials estimate the number at around 320,000.

Putin criticized Western countries for their continued supply of increasingly modern weapons to Kyiv, saying: “If you want to end hostilities in Ukraine, stop supplying weapons.”

After Britain, France, the United States and Germany allowed Ukraine to attack targets on Russian soil with their long-range missiles last week, Putin warned of the danger of what he called an “asymmetric” response.

“If someone believes that it is possible to send such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, then why do we not have the right to send our weapons of the same class to regions of the world where attacks on sensitive facilities of (these) countries can be carried out?” he asked. “The response may be asymmetric. We will think about it.”

His comments came after US authorities said on Wednesday that Washington was tracking Russian warships and aircraft en route to the Caribbean for upcoming military exercises.

A “handful” of Russian ships and support vessels will take part in the exercise, which will be supervised by the US Navy, the two officials said, describing the Russian presence as notable but “not concerning”.

The ships are expected to stop in Venezuela and Cuba, reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, which nearly led to nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

“You keep trying to accuse us of waving some kind of nuclear weapon around,” Putin said when asked in St. Petersburg about Russia’s readiness to use nuclear weapons today. “Did I mention the possibility of using nuclear weapons? You did. You bring me up on this topic and then claim that I’m waving a nuclear weapon around.”

Nevertheless, he stressed: “We have a nuclear doctrine. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal. This cannot be taken lightly. It must be handled professionally.”

Putin criticizes Germany, defends AfD

Putin particularly criticized Germany for its arms deliveries to Ukraine.

“When the first German tanks appeared on Ukrainian soil, it already caused a moral, ethical shock in Russia, because relations with (Germany) in Russian society have always been very good,” he said. “If they now say that more (German) missiles will appear that will hit targets on Russian territory, of course that ultimately destroys Russian-German relations.”

While Berlin gave Kiev permission to attack targets in Russia with missiles supplied from Germany and thus defend the city of Kharkiv, which is only 20 kilometers from the Russian border, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to refuse to send ultra-long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

In response to questions about German domestic politics, Putin denied that Russia had “systematic ties” with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, but said the Kremlin was ready to cooperate with “anyone who is ready to cooperate with Russia.”

Although the AfD is classified as a suspected right-wing extremist organization by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Putin stressed that he sees “no signs of neo-Nazism” in the AfD.

“Any alternative view is seen as an anti-state stance,” he claimed, having himself banned most independent Russian media. “And then they are all branded as agents of the Kremlin.”

Russia “doesn’t care” who wins the US elections

Looking ahead to the upcoming US presidential election in November, Putin said he “does not care” who wins and that he will “work with any president the American people elect.”

Asked about Donald Trump, who was found guilty last week on 34 counts of falsifying business records to avoid a possible sex scandal, Putin said the trial showed that the US was “burning itself from within, its state, its political system.”

However, he confirmed that “the relevant US and Russian authorities are in contact regarding the detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich.”

“I know that the US government is taking vigorous steps for his release, that’s true,” he said. “But such questions are not resolved through the media.”

mf/jsi (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)