Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will respond to the actions of European countries which, according to him, are preparing for war with Russia, and also accused the Ukrainian authorities of allegedly being unwilling to resume negotiations.
"Some European leaders are openly stating that they are preparing for war with Russia," Russian media said citing Putin as saying at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission.
According to him, European countries are conducting military exercises, including drills simulating the seizure of civilian ships.
"I really want to tell them: let's live in peace instead; otherwise, we'll have to respond as well. This should be obvious to everyone," the Kremlin leader said.
Putin also said that one of the main threats to Russia is NATO's expansion.
"As we know, the threats are not diminishing. NATO is growing and expanding into other regions of the world," he said.
At the same time, Putin claimed that Russia allegedly "has no aggressive intentions toward European countries" and "no grounds" for attacking them.
Speaking about Ukraine, the Kremlin leader stated that representatives of the "top leadership in Kyiv" are proposing to resume the negotiation process but, according to him, "are doing everything they can to ensure that there is no peace and no negotiations."
Putin also focused on Russia's new state armaments program, stating that its main priorities were determined with regard to global developments, the experience of the war against Ukraine, and global trends in military technology.
"Among the unconditional priorities, as before, is the strengthening of the nuclear triad, which remains a guarantee of our country's sovereignty and plays a key role in maintaining the global balance of power," Putin said.
According to him, "hardly any nuclear power in the world can boast" the performance of Russia's strategic missile forces, where "92 percent (...) of the modern arsenal" is deployed.
"Another key priority of the new state programs will be improving the air defense system. It must ensure the destruction of any means of air and space attack," the Kremlin leader emphasized.
He added that special attention will be paid to "the development of a wide range of unmanned robotic systems for various purposes, as well as high-precision weapons."
