Putin stated that Russia is not preparing for war with Europe
Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is allegedly not preparing for war with Europe. At the same time, he again claimed that the rights of Russian speakers in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are being violated and accused European countries of escalating the situation. His remarks came amid growing concern over security in the Baltic states.
Putin stated that Russia is aware of alleged violations of the rights of the Russian-speaking population in the Baltic states—namely, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. According to the Russian president, Moscow is responding to this not through military means, but in the humanitarian and legal spheres. “We know that there, in the Baltic states, the rights of the Russian-speaking population are being violated. But we already know how to respond, and we have developed a specific approach to this. We are responding in humanitarian terms and in terms of international law,” Putin said.
Putin also mentioned the status of so-called “non-citizens” in the Baltic states. This issue is most relevant to Latvia, where certain individuals hold this status because they did not acquire Latvian citizenship or citizenship of another country after the restoration of independence.
According to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the status of “non-citizen” was introduced in 1995 for former citizens of the USSR who did not hold Latvian or any other citizenship. Latvian authorities note that non-citizens enjoy most social and political rights but cannot vote in parliamentary elections or hold certain positions in the civil service.
In Estonia, the rules are different. The country’s constitution stipulates that Estonian citizens have the right to vote in parliamentary elections. At the same time, citizens of other countries and stateless persons may hold certain positions in public administration only in cases provided for by law. At the same time, Putin’s claim of an alleged systematic “violation of the rights of Russian speakers” in the Baltic states is his political assessment. In his statement, he did not provide any specific examples or data to support this claim.
What Putin Said About a Possible War with Europe
Separately, Putin commented on statements by European politicians regarding a possible Russian threat. He denied that Moscow is preparing for a direct military conflict with European countries. “We are not preparing for any hostilities with Europe. We have no such plans, and—most importantly—there is no basis for them. There are no real motives for escalating the situation with Europe,” Putin said.
He also called statements about a Russian threat “provocations” and accused EU countries of escalating the situation. According to Putin, this is allegedly linked to European countries’ support for Ukraine. His statement came amid discussions in Europe about potential risks posed by Russia. In particular, on September 24, Danish military intelligence data reported by The Guardian drew attention to a scenario of a possible Russian attack on one of the NATO countries within the next few years.
Russian threats against Lithuania emerged on the same day
On September 25, the Russian state-run agency “RIA Novosti” published an op-ed titled “Another Special Military Operation Awaits Russia. It Will Be Very Short.” The article discussed a possible conflict between Russia and Lithuania and considered scenarios involving the use of missile weapons. The publication was later removed from the agency’s website. The author of the piece was Alexander Nosovich, editor-in-chief of RuBaltic.Ru. The article addressed the debate surrounding the possibility of changes to Lithuania’s restrictions on the deployment of foreign weapons and military infrastructure.
In other words, Putin’s statements about having no plans for war with Europe came on the very same day that Russian state media published an article outlining a scenario for a possible conflict with Lithuania. However, this column was not an official statement by the Russian authorities, and Putin did not specifically comment on its content in his statement. Putin has also repeatedly spoken about the alleged oppression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. The Kremlin used similar statements both before the start of the full-scale invasion and after February 2022. At the same time, such assertions do not confirm that Russia has any legal grounds for interfering in the affairs of other states. He said this at a press conference with Russian media.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Volodymyr Zelenskyy travel to Moscow for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. According to Bloomberg, the Ukrainian side rejected this proposal, and Zelenskyy publicly responded that he would come to the Russian capital “on a rocket.”
