Putin calls European leaders piglets, warns Russia will take more Ukrainian land

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday derided European leaders as "piglets" and warned that Moscow would seize more Ukrainian territory by force unless Kyiv and its Western backers engage with US-backed peace proposals.

Speaking at the Defence Ministry's annual meeting, Putin said Russian forces were advancing on all fronts and that Russia would achieve what it calls the "liberation" of its historical lands either through diplomacy or military means, as efforts led by the United States to broker an end to the war remain stalled.

"If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," Putin said.

The United States has held separate talks with Russia, Ukraine and European leaders on proposals to end the conflict, now in its fourth year, but no breakthrough has emerged. Kyiv and its European allies remain deeply concerned about any settlement that would require Ukrainian territorial concessions, while Ukraine has insisted on firm security guarantees.

Putin said Russia was prepared to press ahead regardless of Western pressure.

According to Reuters, Russia currently controls about 19 per cent of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, most of the Donbas region, large parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and smaller sections of other regions. Moscow claims these territories are now part of Russia, a position Ukraine rejects outright and which is not recognised by most of the international community.

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said Russia plans to increase the pace of its offensive in 2026. A slide presented during his speech showed Russia spending 5.1 per cent of its gross domestic product on the war in 2025, underscoring the scale of the military effort.

PUTIN ACCUSES EUROPE OF WHIPPING UP FEAR

European leaders have repeatedly said they stand with Kyiv and that Russia should not be rewarded for launching the war.

Putin accused Western governments of deliberately fuelling tensions, singling out European politicians for sharp criticism.

He said the administration of former US President Joe Biden had sought to destroy Russia and alleged that European leaders were pursuing the same goal, a claim denied by Western capitals.

Putin described European leaders as "shoats," or "young pigs," accusing them of whipping up hysteria by warning that Russia could one day attack a Nato country.

"I have repeatedly stated: this is a lie, nonsense, pure nonsense about some imaginary Russian threat to European countries. But this is being done quite deliberately," he said.

Belousov echoed the criticism, accusing European powers of trying to derail peace efforts and of openly discussing a possible war between Russia and Nato within a few years.

"Such a policy creates real prerequisites for the continuation of military operations next year, 2026," he said.

ZELENSKYY URGES ALLIES TO USE FROZEN ASSETS

Responding to Moscow's stance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday urged Ukraine's allies to demonstrate that Russia's war effort would ultimately fail.

"The outcome of these meetings -- the outcome for Europe -- must be such that Russia feels that its desire to continue fighting next year will be pointless, because Ukraine will have support," Zelenskyy said in his evening address, ahead of a crucial European Union summit.

Zelenskyy renewed calls for the use of nearly $250 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the European Union, most of them at Belgium's Euroclear, to back loans for Ukraine. EU governments agreed last week to keep the assets frozen indefinitely, though some member states remain concerned about potential legal risks.

Meanwhile, the United States is preparing further sanctions options targeting Russia's energy sector should Moscow reject a peace deal, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg reported that options under consideration include targeting vessels linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, as well as traders involved in facilitating Russian oil exports.

- Ends

With inputs from agencies

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