Putin threatens Europe again and promises 'responses', upset by the militarization of the continent

(AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow is closely watching "the growing militarization of Europe" and promised a "response to threats" after European countries increased their defense spending in the wake of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

"The response to the threats will be, to say the least, very convincing. And yes, I say the response. We have never initiated a military confrontation," Putin said during a forum in Sochi, southwestern Russia.

The Russian leader further accused Europe of preventing a solution to the war in Ukraine and of carrying out "permanent escalation" of the conflict.

The origins of the conflict according to Putin

Putin again sought to impose his narrative on the conflict and its origins, accusing "those who considered themselves victors" at the end of the Cold War of having wanted to impose "unilateral and subjective conceptions of security on everyone."

"That became the real original cause not only of the Ukrainian conflict, but also of many other serious conflicts" of the early 21st century, he argued, advocating a "multipolar world" vis-à-vis the West.

The Trump administration has "a rational approach"

Although President Donald Trump tried, upon his return to power, to reach out to Moscow to find a way out of the war in Ukraine, Putin has given no real signs of conciliation to Washington.

"It is known that our countries have quite a lot of divergences. Our views on many world problems do not coincide. For great powers, that is normal," Putin said of the relationship with the U.S., further estimating that the Trump administration was guided by "the interests of his country and had a rational approach."