Russian President Vladimir Putin says the EU has no reason to worry about potential Moscow aggression. He denies that the Kremlin is preparing for an attack and says that under US President Donald Trump, America began to “listen to Russia,” reports the pro-Kremlin outlet RIA Novosti.

Putin made these statements during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China. 

On 31 August, he arrived in China, Russia’s main economic partner, which provides the Kremlin with unprecendent support during its war against Ukraine, on a four-day visit. It came just as US President Donald Trump’s deadline for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the war has expired.

Trump’s deadline and Russia’s new attacks

Putin claims that any talk about Moscow planning to attack the EU is “Western fiction.”

“They are specialists in fairy tales and horror movies. Any rational person perfectly understands that Russia is not going to attack anyone,” he said.

Before the beginning of Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine in 2022, Putin also repeatedly denied any plans for an attack or invasion in his official statements. Russian officials consistently rejected accusations of preparing military actions against Ukraine, calling the buildup of troops near the border “unfounded tension-mongering.”

It was only on 22 February 2022, that Putin announced the start of the so-called “special military operation” on Ukrainian territory, effectively acknowledging the military actions that had already begun.

The war in Ukraine – “protection of its own interests”

The Russian ruler also justified aggression in Ukraine, claiming that Moscow is allegedly “forced to protect people who tie their fate to Russia.”

“Russia’s only goal in Ukraine is the protection of its own interests,” Putin added.

He also shifted responsibility for attacks on Ukraine on its authorities: “Moscow endured Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy for a long time and then began to respond seriously.”

Lies about EU integration and the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Putin assured that Russia has “never opposed Ukraine’s EU membership” but called Ukraine’s accession to NATO unacceptable. He also allowed for the possibility of a tripartite cooperation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant involving the US and Ukraine.

Experts emphasize that such statements are part of a Kremlin information operation aimed at the West and the Global South, intended to justify three years of aggression and attacks on civilians.

In addition, Putin praised the administration of US President Donald Trump, which refused to provide free aid to Ukraine and introduced no new sanctions against Russia. According to him, under Trump, America began to “listen to Russia,” a claim he said was confirmed by the Alaska summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is once again lying about strikes on Ukraine. During a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the summit in China, he claimed that Russia’s massive attacks were in response to Ukrainian assaults on Russian energy facilities, according to the pro-Kremlin outlet RIA Novosti.

Putin justifies attacks on energy infrastructure

“Moscow endured Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy for a long time, and then began to respond seriously,” Putin said.

Meanwhile, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, calls his statements a blatant lie, as since 2022, Russia has systematically attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, especially during the preparation for winter and in winter itself.

Attacks on civilians continue

Once again, he tried to shift the responsibility for Russian aggression onto Ukraine, explained Kovalenko. 

“Putin is preparing an informational alibi for strikes on Ukrainian energy. In Beijing, he claimed that Russia ‘never hit energy’ and only responds to Ukrainian attacks on the oil sector. This is false,” he stressed.

Kovalenko added that the Russians strike during the lead-up to winter and directly in winter. This year, they also did not stop attacks on energy in regions bordering Russia.

Kremlin information operation

According to Kovalenko, Putin’s speech in Beijing is part of another Russian information operation aimed at the West and the Global South.

“It is an attempt to shift responsibility for terrorizing Ukrainians onto us,” he claimed.

The Russians were the ones who started the war and attacks on energy, and they have never stopped.

According to the UN, Russia’s war has killed more than 13,800 civilians in Ukraine. Attacks on Ukraine intensified, particularly in 2025, following the launch of peace initiatives by US President Donald Trump.

Russia was not punished with sanctions or any other measures. On the contrary, President Putin was invited to a meeting with Trump in Alaska.

Putin urges Europe to weaponize energy against Ukraine, praises Trump’s inaction

Also, during the meeting with Fico, Putin called “on his friends in Europe” to cut Ukraine’s fuel and electricity supplies, the Kremlin press service reports. The Russian ruler emphasized that Ukraine receives a significant amount of energy resources through its Eastern European neighbors.

“Shut off their gas supplies, shut off their electricity supplies, and they will immediately understand that there are limits to violating others’ interests,” Putin said in a conversation with Robert Fico.

He also praised the administration of US President Donald Trump, which refused to provide free aid to Ukraine and introduced no new sanctions against Russia. According to Putin, under Trump, America began to “listen to Russia,” a claim he said was confirmed by the Alaska summit.