Arming Ukraine and peace efforts can’t go on at a time

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield, where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances.

Vladimir Putin on Monday said the Kremlin is “closely monitoring” what he described as the “growing militarization of Europe. Is it just empty talk, or is it time for us to take countermeasures?” Vladimir Putin further said that supplying weapons to Ukraine and making peace efforts can’t go on simultaneously.

His comments come shortly after it was reported the U.S. would provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets deep inside Russia, a move that would represent a significant shift in White House support for Kyiv.

The potential supply of US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv will signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the US,” Putin said at a forum of international foreign policy experts in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Kremlin noted that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. “It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine.

Asked about Trump dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” because of its failure to defeat its smaller neighbor after more than 3 years of fighting, Putin argued that Russia has faced all the NATO allies backing Kyiv.

“We are fighting against the entire block of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is?” he said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks.

At the same time, Putin hailed US President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive.

Asked about Trump dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” because of its failure to defeat its smaller neighbor after more than 3 years of fighting, Putin argued that Russia has faced all the NATO allies backing Kyiv.

“We are fighting against the entire block of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is?” he said. “A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks. The Ukraine War is taking too long to end which poses serious geopolitical threats.