Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is not preparing for “any kind” of conflict with Europe, rejecting warnings from several European NATO members that Russia could attack the alliance’s territory.
The Kremlin leader said Russia had “no real motive” to heighten tensions and rebuked European governments that have argued the opposite.
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“Many in Europe talk about expecting an attack from Russia and therefore believe they must themselves prepare for hostilities, for a war with Russia,” Putin told reporters in Saint Petersburg.
“I want to emphasise once again: we are not preparing for any kind of hostilities with Europe,” he said.
Earlier this month, Germany accused Moscow of plotting a drone attack on Leipzig airport in August. Poland, meanwhile, has warned that Russia could launch drones and missiles against countries backing Ukraine.
More:Is Russia’s alleged hybrid war on EU a genuine threat?NATO chief says alliance ‘ready’ for Russia hybrid attacks
Putin also said Russia was reviewing its position on whether to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine after a series of recent Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
“On proposals to resume negotiations, yes, they are all on the table, and it is all possible — but after everything they’ve done, we will give careful thought to what steps we need to take in response,” Putin said.
He accused Ukraine of initiating provocative attacks and said the country would face the consequences of a prolonged Russian response.
“They are the ones who started it. Everywhere, on every front. Are these play things, child’s play?” Mr Putin told reporters.
“They should therefore be made to feel Russia’s retaliatory strikes and understand that no provocative actions, no stirring up the situation to secure a result will work. They’re only making things worse for themselves.”
Rescue workers at the scene where a 14-year-old boy was killed in a strike on an apartment block in Kyiv
Firefighters work at the site of a Russian drone strike in Kyiv
Russian strikes shut Ukrainian steelmaker, seven people killed in Kyiv
Arcelor Mittal said it would halt production at Ukraine’s largest steel plant, highlighting the deepening economic damage caused by Russian airstrikes that killed seven people in Kyiv today, among them a 14-year-old boy.
The steelmaker said it had notified the Ukrainian government that “safe and sustainable” operations could no longer continue after four strikes in five weeks inflicted extensive damage and killed five employees at the southeastern facility.
The closure delivers another setback to Ukraine’s once-dominant steel industry. The sector previously generated 15% of the country’s exports but has been squeezed by Russian attacks and trade restrictions imposed by the EU, Ukraine’s biggest trading partner.
Russia has stepped up airstrikes across Ukraine in recent months, deploying ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones against companies, logistics networks, Black Sea port facilities and civilian infrastructure.
Officials say the attacks are draining tax revenues and widening the government’s budget shortfall as Kyiv tries to fund the war.
A man stands amid building debris and looks at a damaged car following a Russian drone attack in Kyiv
“The Russians are constantly expanding their escalation operation,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “It is important that the world responds to all of this and that Russia feels the response to its terror.”
Ukraine has also intensified strikes inside Russia, targeting defence and energy facilities along with major online retailers in an effort to weaken Moscow’s revenues and public support for the war.
A drone strike on a high-rise building in central Kyiv early today killed a 14-year-old boy. Zelensky described the attack as “absolutely savage and sickening”.
Later, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four bodies had been recovered from a parking lot after a separate daytime strike hit an office building.
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Klitschko said 46 people were injured in the day’s attacks, including 25 who were hospitalised.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the war, which began with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The United Nations said its monitoring mission in Ukraine had documented at least 200 civilian deaths in September. The attacks also damaged “homes, hospitals, shops and workplaces”, it said.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had conducted overnight drone strikes against Ukrainian defence industry facilities, logistics centres and vessels used by Kyiv’s armed forces.
In Ukraine’s latest strikes inside Russia, a drone attack forced the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the Rostov region to suspend operations.
Zelensky confirmed the strike and said Ukrainian forces had also hit a similar facility in Perm, as well as a defence enterprise in Ulyanovsk.
