Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is not preparing for war with Europe and that neither the peoples of Europe nor Russians want a military confrontation. In an interview with Pavel Zarubin of the Vesti television channel, the Kremlin leader described European statements about a Russian threat and preparations for a possible conflict as «political schizophrenia».
The remarks, carried by the TASS news agency, place Putin's denial of hostile intentions alongside a sharp attack on European governments. He did not offer evidence for the claim that Moscow is not preparing for conflict, nor did he address specific European assessments of Russian military activity. The interview was given to a Russian state broadcaster and presented without any indication of conditions or topics agreed in advance.
The intervention comes amid sustained tension between Russia and the European Union over security, sanctions and military support for Ukraine. European officials have repeatedly warned that Russia could pose a threat to member states beyond Ukraine, and several governments have cited those warnings when increasing defence spending and reviewing military readiness. Putin's characterization of such statements as a form of political disorder is a direct rejection of that reasoning.
By framing the dispute around the wishes of ordinary people, Putin sought to draw a distinction between European publics and their governments. He said that neither European nations nor Russians desire a confrontation, suggesting that the pressure for conflict comes from political elites rather than from societies. The claim was not accompanied by any reference to public opinion data or to the role of Russian military deployments.
The phrase «political schizophrenia» is unusually blunt even by the standards of Kremlin rhetoric toward Brussels. It echoes a long-standing pattern in which Russian officials describe European criticism as irrational or hysterical while presenting Moscow's own actions as defensive. The choice of a domestic television interview, rather than a diplomatic channel, means the message was aimed at both Russian and foreign audiences without the filter of formal negotiations.
No new policy proposal or diplomatic initiative accompanied the remarks. Putin did not announce any change in Russia's military posture, nor did he respond to specific European concerns about exercises, deployments or arms production. The interview therefore functions primarily as a statement of position: a denial of aggressive intent paired with an accusation that European leaders are misreading the situation.
For European governments, the comments are unlikely to settle the debate over Russian intentions. Warnings about a possible threat have become a central argument in defence planning across the continent, and officials have generally treated Russian denials with scepticism. The interview offers no independent verification and rests on the assertions of the Russian president alone.
The timing also matters because the exchange of accusations has become routine. Each side presents its own actions as defensive and the other's as destabilizing. Putin's latest remarks add another layer to that cycle without altering the underlying dispute over security, sovereignty and the war in Ukraine, which remains the central source of friction between Moscow and European capitals.