Vladimir Putin accused the west of coming with its missiles to our doorstep and reiterated his demands for no more Nato expansion in Europe.
The Russian president did not help reduce the tensions over Ukraine as he spoke at a televised press conference, saying he would be prepared to launch an intervention if he felt that Ukraine or its western allies were planning an attack on Russia's proxies in the country.
Putin said on Thursday that they keep telling us: war, war, war. There is an impression that they are preparing for the third military operation in Ukraine and give us a fair warning: do not intervene, do not protect these people, but if you do intervene and protect them, there will be new sanctions. Analysts said Russia may be seeking a casus belli as it stations more than 100,000 soldiers, along with tanks and artillery, within striking distance of the Ukrainian border. The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, accused American mercenaries of transporting chemical weapons to the frontlines of the conflict zone, although he did not provide any evidence for the claim.
There are few signs that Ukraine's military is preparing an offensive in Donbass, where the frontlines have remained static for seven years. Since fighting began in 2014, more than 14,000 people have died.
Putin said he did not want war with Ukraine but would seek new security guarantees from the west in upcoming talks with the US, reiterating his controversial demand that Nato s eastern members remove troops and military installations that appeared after the countries accession to the alliance in 1997.
He said that Nato's move to the east is unacceptable. The United States is sitting on our doorstep with missiles. Is it a waste to not install shock systems in our house? How would the Americans react if they took missiles at the border with Canada or Mexico and put them there? He expressed anger over Nato's expansion since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, an issue that has become central to his growing antagonism with the west.
He said that sometimes it seems that we are living in different worlds. They said they wouldn't expand, but they are expanding. Putin said that talks with the US should begin next year in Geneva, and that the ball is now in their court. American partners tell us they are ready to launch this discussion, these talks in Geneva at the beginning of next year. Both sides have representatives who have been appointed. I hope that the situation will unfold exactly under this scenario.