Putin calls European leaders "pigs" and threatens further conquests in Ukraine

MoscowVladimir Putin is not happy with the news coming out of the latest talks between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States. Moscow insists it has not yet been informed of the new proposals that have been discussed. But the possibility that the Americans could offer Kyiv security guarantees comparable to NATO membership The Russian president considers it unacceptable that Brussels would deploy peacekeeping troops there. That's why the Russian president has escalated his rhetoric, resorting to insults by calling European leaders "pigs" and threatening more war.

The Russian government is using a new argument to justify not halting the fighting: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's statements warning of Russia's intention to attack Europe. According to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, the Atlantic Alliance forces "have begun to accelerate preparations for a confrontation with Moscow in the early 2030s," and this "creates the real conditions for the continuation of military actions until 2026." "We are not threatening, we are being threatened," he said.

At an event with high-ranking defense officials, Putin pointed out that European leaders are deliberately raising "the level of hysteria" among their populations. "They are being brainwashed with imaginary fears about an inevitable clash with Russia, being told they must prepare for a major war. This is a lie, pure nonsense," he said. In a bitter speech against the allies, he pointed to Joe Biden as the one responsible for provoking the war, adding: "Everyone thought they would quickly destroy Russia, and the European pigs joined in, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country, recover something lost in earlier periods, and try to get revenge."

The Russian president expressed his displeasure at what he considers a historic disappointment and grievance. He asserted that immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians thought they would become "members of the so-called civilized family of European nations," "a full and equal part of that family." "None of that happened," he said. "Russia was pressured from all sides, and increasingly so." Virtually everything was decided from a position of strength, and the West pushed its interests by force, including armed force.” According to Putin, the United States and Europe financed separatist and terrorist groups within Russian territory.

Putin maintains that he is only complaining about NATO's commitment not to expand into the territories. “They have done us wrong. They don't care about us at all. They simply ignored all our interests completely, and that ended up leading to a coup in Ukraine,” he concluded. And yet he asserted that the Kremlin is open to dialogue, “if not with the current politicians, then when the political elites of Europe are replaced.”

“Liberating the territories

In Moscow, they see it as increasingly unlikely that they will be able to secure a peace agreement that satisfies them. Putin warns that if diplomacy fails, his army will conquer the "historic Russian territories" controlled by Ukraine. This deliberately ambiguous expression suggests that the Kremlin's ambitions extend beyond Donbas and even the annexed provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Putin commonly refers to Novorossiya, and this could include Ukrainian regions. such as Odessa, Mikolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk. The Russian leader also said that "the unique tactical and operational experience gained in breaking through the enemy's deep defenses" allows the army to "increase the pace of the offensive in strategically important areas." Beloussov reiterated to Putin that his soldiers have occupied the city of Kupyansk in northeastern Ukraine. This is despite Zelensky's visit last week to prove it false, and despite Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Sirsky's assertion this Wednesday that his troops control almost 90% of the municipality. A clear example of the battle to convince Trump who holds the initiative. And yet another message from the Russian president at the White House: before the end of the year, that is, imminently, the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, Putin's pride and joy, will be put on combat alert. It has a range of thousands of kilometers, is capable of reaching any point in the European Union, can carry nuclear warheads, and was first used in Ukraine in late 2024.