Putin: European leaders are using Ukrainians as 'cannon fodder'

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western governments on Thursday of exploiting Ukrainian lives to serve their strategic aims, saying European leaders treat Ukrainians like "cannon fodder" while portraying Kyiv as a defender of democracy.

Speaking at a public appearance, Putin also claimed that Ukraine’s leadership has turned into a dictatorship and that Kyiv needs the war to remain in power. He added that, in his view, the Ukrainian authorities are deliberately obstructing negotiations while publicly offering to resume them.

Putin warns Europe and frames NATO expansion as pretext

Translating his criticism to NATO policy, Putin argued that the alliance’s expansion provides a convenient explanation for European governments to mask domestic economic failures. "NATO is expanding and advancing, entering into different regions of the world. Europeans use the pretext of the alleged Russian threat to cover up their own mistakes in economic policy," he said.

He repeated assertions that Kyiv opposes holding elections and accused Ukrainian leaders of trying to disrupt Russian ballots: "The Ukrainian leadership is in no hurry to hold elections, as is known, they even want to prevent our elections," Putin said.

Still, the Russian president said Russia remained open to rebuilding ties with Europe and urged a return to peaceful coexistence while warning of consequences if relations do not normalize. "Russia is ready to cooperate and restore relations with Europe. Let's simply live in harmony. Otherwise, Moscow will have to respond," he said.

Photo: press material from the event