Putin Ally Predicts 'Big War' With NATO

Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said that cooperation between NATO members shows that the West is preparing for war with Russia.

His comments follow Vladimir Putin's reaction to President Joe Biden's claim that if it defeated Ukraine, Russia would "keep going" and attack an alliance member. Such a move would invoke Article 5 of the bloc's charter, under which an attack on one is an attack on all, and so it would draw U.S. troops into conflict.

Biden issued the warning as he tried to persuade Republicans to continue to back military support for Ukraine, which is stalling in Congress.

Putin told state television on Sunday that Moscow had "no geopolitical interest, neither economic, nor political, nor military, to fight with NATO countries," saying that such a prospect is "complete nonsense, and I think President Biden understands that."

But NATO wants to fight with Russia, according to Solovyov, noting that Lithuania and Estonia had signed a cooperation plan until 2028 and that a U.S. missile defense base had become operational in Poland, 130 miles from the Kaliningrad region.

"Are they trying to tease us," he told viewers in the clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko. "Even though Putin clearly explained for the 156th time we are not going to war with NATO...we won't be naïve anymore."

"We no longer trust the West, no one," he said on the Russia 1 channel. "We understand what their true meaning is, the destruction of the Russian state. We no longer believe the assurances of their politicians.

"We see how the West is clearly preparing for a big war with Russia," he added.

Newsweek has contacted NATO for comment.

Putin has railed at what he sees as the alliance's expansion towards Russian borders and this was listed as one of his reasons for the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While he rejected Biden's view that Ukraine was a stepping stone to other invasions, the Russian leader did warn on Sunday that Finland's entry into NATO in April would force Moscow to "concentrate certain military units" in the north of the country near their border.

Earlier this month, Finland closed its border crossings with Russia except for one after Helsinki accused Moscow of sending refugees there.

In another sign of deepening military ties caused by Russian aggression, the U.S. and Sweden signed a defense cooperation agreement to strengthen their military links and increase the American presence in the region.