Putin criticizes Biden for saying 'Russia will attack NATO'

President Putin criticized his US counterpart for "nonsense speech", after Mr Biden warned that Russia would attack NATO members if Ukraine lost the war.

"I think President Joe Biden understands that these are completely meaningless statements. Russia has no reasons and no interests, geopolitically , economically and militarily, to wage war against NATO member states," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published today.

The Kremlin chief said that Western statements about the risk of Moscow attacking NATO were "rhetorical words to justify mistakes in its policy towards Russia and Ukraine". President Putin stressed that Russia does not want to damage relations with NATO and is ready to continue developing relations with countries in the bloc.

"The US does not have the enthusiasm to defeat Russia strategically as they think. I think that such an effort does not serve the interests of the US itself," Mr. Putin added.

Mr. Putin at a press conference in Moscow on December 14. Photo: Reuters — Mr. Putin at a press conference in Moscow on December 14. Photo: *Reuters*

This is the first time President Putin has commented on the statement made by his US counterpart on December 6, in which the White House boss called on Republicans in Congress to maintain military aid to Kiev and warned that Russia would "not stop after the victory in Ukraine".

President Biden predicted that Moscow would attack a NATO ally, putting the US military in the undesirable position of “fighting Russian forces,” but offered no evidence to support the claim.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 7 accused the White House of making Russia look like a threat to urge the US Congress to pass a budget proposal for aid to Ukraine. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov also criticized Biden's comments, describing them as "unacceptable provocations against a responsible nuclear power".

The United States remains by far the largest military donor to Ukraine, providing tens of billions of dollars in security aid and repeatedly pledging to support Kiev for as long as necessary. But opposition from hard-line Republicans in the US Congress has raised doubts about the country’s ability to sustain the aid as Ukraine prepares for a second winter of fighting.

Vu Anh (According to Interfax, Reuters )

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