Moscow.- Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Monday of resorting to “terrorist methods” after failing to defeat Russia “on the battlefield,” in reference to Ukrainian drone attacks against targets in the Russian rear.
“Unable to defeat Russia on the battlefield, they are now betting on openly terrorist methods in their fight against our people, but the people of Russia will never be broken by anyone. That has never happened and will never happen,” he said while addressing the deputies of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, gathered in the Kremlin.
Putin was referring to the support of European countries for enemy attacks against military factories, refineries, or e-commerce warehouses on Russian territory.
Russia will respond “firmly” to any hostile action
“Our multinational people have responded to historical trials and aggressive external pressure with internal unity. It has always been this way, and it is precisely what is happening now,” he noted.
According to the Russian leader, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine at the end of February 2022, the West set its “Russophobic machinery at full throttle” and attempted to provoke “division” in society by trying to “strangle” the country’s economy and its financial and banking system.
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However, he asserted that all the sanctions adopted against Moscow, in reality, cause more harm to their initiators than to Russia itself.
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Putin stressed that the Russian political system “is ready to defend the country and is capable, together with society, of responding firmly to any hostile action.”
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He was also convinced that the deputies will pay attention when approving the next three-year budget to both national defense, which represents 40% of total spending, and social programs.
Putin opens the door to “freezing” the war
Although more than two-thirds of Russians advocate for an end to hostilities, according to polls, Putin insisted again that the Russian soldiers fighting in the neighboring country for almost four and a half years “are supported by all the people, the entire society.”
“We will achieve our goals and together we will do everything for victory, for Russia,” he said.
The head of the Kremlin asserted that the current one is “one of the most decisive stages” in the history of Russia, since “the destiny and future of our country are at stake.”
Precisely, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, called on Putin this past Saturday to freeze the war in Ukraine during a meeting in the Siberian city of Omsk.
“Perhaps the time has come to freeze this conflict and return to the ‘Istanbul Formula 2.0’, given that significant results were achieved there,” he said.
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Analyst opinion
According to international analysts, the successful Ukrainian attacks on critical infrastructure in Russia have caused Putin to rule out making any territorial concessions in potential peace negotiations with Kyiv, which have been stalled since February.
Both Russia and the United States have deemed the commitments reached in August 2025 at the Anchorage summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to be obsolete.
