Russia is “at war” with the entire NATO alliance, Vladimir Putin has claimed, accusing all 32 member states of fighting Moscow through arms supplies, intelligence sharing and training for Ukrainian forces. Speaking at the annual Valdai Discussion Club, Putin said: “All the NATO countries are fighting with us.”
He described a NATO-operated European centre that “feeds information, transmits intelligence from space, and supplies weapons and gives training” to Kyiv’s military. The Russian president dismissed recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who called Russia a “paper tiger” for failing to seize much territory in Ukraine despite high casualties. Putin said: “Well if we are fighting with the entire NATO bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a paper tiger, then what is NATO itself?”
He continued: “A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger.”
Putin insisted Russian forces are advancing steadily, stating they “keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident” along the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
The speech follows reports of Russian drones entering NATO airspace over Romania, Poland, Estonia and Denmark in recent weeks, incidents the alliance has branded as deliberate tests of its resolve.
Moscow denies any aggressive intent, with Putin calling fears of a Russian attack on NATO countries “nonsense”.
He added: “It’s impossible to believe such nonsense.” However, he warned of retaliation against Western moves, saying: “Russia’s countermeasures will not be long in coming” if Europe ramps up its militarisation.
Putin blamed the Ukraine conflict – now in its fourth year – on NATO’s eastward expansion since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
He criticised the recent addition of Finland and Sweden, remarking: “Finland and Sweden joining NATO was stupid. We never had any problems with Sweden, much less Finland.”
The Russian leader recalled an August summit with Trump in Alaska, where they discussed ending the war. “President Trump and I discussed practically nothing there, not even the bilateral agenda.
“We only discussed the possibilities and ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said. He noted talks on “restoring Russian-American relations, which are not just at an impasse, but at their lowest point in memory”.
On nuclear matters, Putin vowed to mirror any tests by others: “Some people are preparing these tests. We see it, we know it. And if they happen, we’ll do the same.”
He expressed assurance in Russia’s capabilities, saying: “We’re confident in our nuclear shield; we know what to do tomorrow and the day after.”
Putin highlighted deployments of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and the new Oreshnik missile, describing them as far more powerful than those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Turning to energy, Putin cautioned that curbing Russian oil exports would disrupt global markets. He said: “It’s impossible to imagine that a drop in Russian oil production will maintain normal conditions in the global energy sector and the global economy.”
Despite tensions, Putin mentioned ongoing uranium sales to the US, projected to hit £900 billion by the end of 2025.
Putin declared: “If anyone still has a desire to compete with us in the military sphere… feel free, let them try,” boasting that Russia’s armed forces are now the world’s strongest.
Putin also accused a “minority in Europe” of dragging out the fighting.
He said: “Unfortunately, it has not been possible to stop the fighting, but the responsibility for this lies not with the majority (of countries), but with a minority in Europe that is constantly escalating the conflict.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in a late-September interview about Trump’s “paper tiger” label rather than this speech, remarked that Putin “is now losing in one month what the Soviets lost in a decade” during their Afghan war.
Former Ukrainian interior ministry iadvisor Anton Gerashchenko posted a video clip of Putin’s remarks on X, prompting user responses like “peak moscovian delusion” and calls for him to face trial as a war criminal.
European nations, grappling with energy price hikes and protests, have pledged further aid to Ukraine ahead of winter.
Analysts view Putin’s address as an effort to sustain public backing amid economic sanctions, inflation and more than 600,000 Russian casualties.
