View from USA: Putin praises Trump but warns supplies of US long-range missiles to Ukraine will badly hurt ties

Vladimir Putin at the Plenary session of the 22nd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. October 2, 2025.
Photo: RIA Novosti

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield, ‘The Washington Post’ writes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield , where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances.

The potential supply of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv will signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S.,” Putin said at a forum of international foreign policy experts in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Russian leader noted that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. “It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine.

Asked about Trump dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” because of its failure to defeat its smaller neighbor after more than 3 1/2 years of fighting, Putin argued that Russia has faced all the NATO allies backing Kyiv.

“We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is?” he said. “A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then.”

Putin hails Alaska's summit with Trump and reaffirms nuclear pact's extension offer

At the same time, Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive.

“It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis,” he said, adding that he felt “comfortable” talking to Trump.

Putin also reaffirmed his offer to the U.S. to extend their last remaining nuclear arms control pact for one more year after it expires in February. The 2010 New START treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.

“If they don’t need it, we don’t need it either,” he said, adding that “we feel confident about our nuclear shield.”

While praising Trump and trying to emphasize potential common interests, the Russian president sent a stern warning to Ukraine’s Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markers. He argued that would amount to piracy and could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilizing the global oil market.

Threatening a forceful response to Western “piracy,” mocking drone claims

Asked about the detention of an oil tanker off France’s Atlantic coast, which President Emmanuel Macron linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers of uncertain ownership that are avoiding Western sanctions, Putin cast it as an attempt by Macron to distract public attention from his country’s own internal problems and mockingly likened the French leader to Napoleon.

He strongly warned the West against such action, arguing that it defies international maritime law and risks triggering military confrontation. “It’s piracy, and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them,” he said.

Putin also scoffed at Western claims of possible Russian involvement in recent drone flights over Denmark , casting them as part of purported NATO efforts to “inflame tensions to boost the defense spending.”

Putin dismissed Western allegations of Russia’s purported aggressive plans against NATO allies as “nonsense” aimed at distracting public attention from domestic problems.

“We are carefully watching the growing militarization of Europe,” he said. “Is all of this just words or is it time for us to take countermeasures? No one should have doubt that Russia’s countermeasures will not take a long time to come.”

Putin's reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination

Asked about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Putin called it a “heinous crime” that reflected a “deep split” in American society. He hailed Kirk as a hero killed for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares.

Putin also praised Michael Gloss, an American and the son of a deputy CIA chief, who joined the Russian military and was killed in action in Ukraine in 2024. He said he had awarded Gloss with a medal, which he handed to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Moscow.

The Russian leader likened Gloss to Kirk, saying they championed similar “traditional” values. “He gave his life while defending those values as a Russian soldier, and Kirk gave his life while fighting for the same values in the United States,” Putin said.

In response to questions about Gloss, the CIA said in a statement that the agency “considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter — and not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss.”

At one point during the four-hour event televised live, Putin, a former Soviet KGB officer and one-time head of Russia’s top domestic security agency, misspoke and referred to himself as “the CIA director” while describing a meeting with President George W. Bush and his administration officials. “The future director,” Putin quipped as the audience broke into laughter.

Putin says Moscow has no plans to invade Europe

President Vladimir V. Putin said that Russia had no plans to invade NATO countries, amid alarm over confirmed and suspected Russian drone incursions from Poland to Denmark in recent weeks, ‘The New York Times’ quotes.

After the airspace violations, some European leaders have said that the continent has entered its most perilous moment in decades. NATO nations are moving to beef up aerial defenses that they believe Russia has been probing for weaknesses.

Speaking at an international relations conference in Russia’s southwest, Mr. Putin lashed out at “European elites” for “whipping up the hysteria” about the “Russian threat.”

“It looks as if a war with the Russians is just around the corner: They keep repeating this mantra over and over again,” he said in televised remarks.

“This is something impossible to believe,” Mr. Putin added. “I’d like to tell them: Calm down, sleep tight and, finally, deal with your own issues.” Later, he insisted that Moscow had “no aggressive intentions regarding other countries.”

Mr. Putin’s remarks followed weeks of jitters in Europe over whether the continent was prepared for a possible escalation in Russian aggression.

Last week, fears spread to Scandinavia when Denmark and Norway had to shut down airports over unexplained drone activity. The authorities have suggested that Russia was behind the overflights, though Mr. Putin on Thursday denied that his country had been involved.

In his remarks at the conference, Mr. Putin sought to portray the growing concerns in Europe as unfounded and said that Germany and other nations were increasing the risk of conflict by “militarizing Europe.” If Europe continues this path, he said, Russia will have to offer a “convincing response.”

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs