Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia would not launch any new wars after Ukraine if Western countries treat Moscow with respect and acknowledge its security interests. Speaking during his annual “Direct Line” televised marathon, Putin dismissed claims that Russia plans to attack Europe as “nonsense” and said further military operations could be avoided if the West stopped what he described as deception, particularly over Nato’s eastward expansion.

Answering questions from the BBC and other international journalists, Putin repeated that Russia was open to ending the war in Ukraine “peacefully,” but only on its own terms. He reiterated demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from regions partially occupied by Russia and abandon efforts to join Nato. Putin also claimed Russian forces were advancing on the battlefield and insisted that responsibility for blocking peace lay with Western governments and Ukraine’s European backers, not Moscow.

The lengthy broadcast, which mixed foreign policy with domestic concerns, came as fighting in Ukraine continued, with Ukrainian officials reporting deadly Russian missile strikes hours after the event. Putin acknowledged economic pressures at home, including rising prices and higher taxes, while portraying Russia as resilient. He concluded by saying Russia was ready to cooperate with the US, Europe, and the UK as equals, provided its long-term security was guaranteed, accusing the West of deliberately turning Russia into an enemy.

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