Hundreds of thousands of Vladimir Putin's troops are being amassed on NATO borders as 2026 shapes up to be a 'critical' year for European peace, ex-German army official Roderich Kiesewetter said

On possible peace talks with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said, "The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents, primarily the leaders of the Kyiv regime, and in this case, first and foremost,

President Vladimir Putin offered no compromise on his terms for ending the war in Ukraine on Friday and accused the European Union of attempting "daylight robbery" of Russian assets.

Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference, the Russian dictator said Moscow would make more gains by the year's end.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that European claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Soviet Union were wrong and that claims Putin plans to invade a NATO member were complete stupidity.

Europe has failed to “rob” Russia of its frozen assets, President Vladimir Putin has said in the aftermath of a deal to offer Ukraine a massive €90bn interest-free loan.

Vladimir Putin dismissed Western warnings of a major war with Russia as hysteria, accused NATO of fearmongering, and warned Ukraine and its allies that Moscow would pursue its territorial goals militarily if talks fail.

Vladimir Putin called European leaders 'little pigs' in gangster-style rhetoric that signals Moscow's ambitions now extend beyond Ukraine