Putin says NATO openly preparing for war against Russia, warns of retaliation

Putin's speech to military graduates

Speaking to hundreds of new graduates of Russian military academies at the Kremlin on 23 June, Vladimir Putin charged that NATO members had moved beyond supporting Ukraine and now openly discuss preparing for war against Russia and increasing offensive military budgets. He argued that NATO and EU states use false assertions about a Russian military threat to justify this militarization, noting that roughly 40% of Russia's federal budget spending goes to the army, military equipment and security. Putin nonetheless insisted that Moscow advocates a multipolar international system that guarantees each country's military security.

“We are ready to respond operationally and adequately to all internal and external threats.”

Accusations against the West

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that the United States, after President Trump's policy shift, is abandoning any claim to be an objective mediator and is instead pursuing a course to tighten sanctions pressure on Moscow. He also condemned Europe's military support for Kyiv, saying Europe is becoming a great threat to international peace and security. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko separately warned that the risk of a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO is rising, alleging that the alliance intends to be ready by 2030 and therefore opposes any peace in Ukraine.

“The risk of a military confrontation is increasing; they say they will be ready by 2030, so they do not want to allow peace in Ukraine under any circumstances.”

Ukraine conflict developments

Putin reiterated that Russia is prepared for peace talks with Ukraine based on the results achieved at Istanbul in 2022. In a separate meeting with government officials, he accused Ukrainian forces of attacking civilian targets inside Russia because they are losing territory, and ordered measures to minimize the damage. Ukrainian strikes are increasingly aimed at Russia's oil industry to disrupt fuel supplies to the military and cut energy revenues, with particular tension focused on Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed in 2014 and used by Moscow as a key military hub. Ukrainian Defence Minister Mihailo Fedorov recently said Ukraine plans to isolate Crimea through drone attacks.

“Russia will go where it needs to go.”

Sanctions backdrop

The sharp rhetoric came days after the G7 summit in France, where leaders announced tightened sanctions on Russia. President Trump, following months preoccupied by the Iran conflict, signalled willingness to use sanctions pressure to push for an end to the Ukraine war. Putin also accused the entire West of flooding Ukraine with drones, though he acknowledged that Western countries have not attacked Russia from their own territory because they understand Moscow would retaliate.