Tensions between Russia and the European Union have escalated following the decision by the EU to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, a move that Moscow has described as “extremely dangerous” and one that threatens to undermine any hopes for peace talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that the EU’s decision to allow Ukraine to target Russia with long-range missiles “contradicts Moscow’s aspirations for a resolution to the conflict,” characterizing this development as “serious.”
Peskov emphasized that these European decisions are “extremely dangerous, once again, if they are implemented,” stressing the need for “preparations for a new round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, amid the absence of understanding regarding their continuation and potential location.” He expressed Russia’s commitment to continue implementing the Istanbul agreements.
Peskov mentioned that “there are communications between Russian and American intelligence services, but it’s too early to talk about broad cooperation,” considering that “the initiation of the negotiation process regarding Ukraine is a significant achievement, and Russia is grateful to President Donald Trump and the United States for their assistance.”
In a phone call with Trump last week, Putin indicated that Russia and Ukraine would work on a memorandum regarding a peace agreement, provoking new accusations from Kyiv and European governments towards Moscow of stalling and lacking a sincere intention to establish peace.
Russia has denied such accusations and insists it has no interest in delaying the peace process. Peskov stated: “The Russian draft of the memorandum has not yet been submitted… work is ongoing. This is a serious draft… a draft for a serious document that requires careful review and preparation.”
For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow will consider any strike with German Taurus missiles on Russian targets as Berlin’s participation in military operations alongside Kyiv.
According to the Eurasian Times, the range of the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD 350 missile system exceeds 500 kilometers, capable of accurately destroying heavily fortified targets.
The missile features a multiple-effect warhead weighing approximately 481 kilograms, ensuring maximum safety for the aircraft and its crew, thanks to its capabilities in evasion, precision, and a deployment range exceeding 350 kilometers.
These statements followed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announcement at a forum organized by the German radio station WDR, where he said, “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons being sent to Ukraine, neither from the British nor the French nor from us, and there are no restrictions from the Americans either.”
He pointed out that Ukraine “has now acquired long-range weapons that enable it to strike military infrastructure within Russian territory.”
These comments came after Trump posted on Truth Social, stating that Putin “has gone completely mad,” and said that Washington is considering imposing new sanctions on Moscow following significant Russian airstrikes in its war on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 355 drones and 9 cruise missiles against Ukraine last night, while a spokesperson for the Russian Air Force told Reuters that the drone attack is the largest of its kind Russia has conducted in the war so far.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesperson indicated that “the strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian military facilities are a response to attacks on Russian civilian facilities.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Monday that the large Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian targets are a “political choice” by Putin, calling for increased pressure on Moscow.
Zelensky said in his nightly video address: “There is no military sense in this; it is a clear political choice, a choice by Putin, a choice by Russia, a choice to continue the war and take lives.”
Zelensky noted that the attacks — over 900 drones and missiles over three nights — “showed that Russia is manipulating diplomacy,” adding that Moscow “deserves widespread pressure and everything that can be done to limit its military capability.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that Russia had to respond to what is happening in Ukraine and “to do what it is doing now,” according to Russian news agency Sputnik.
Putin added during a meeting with representatives of Russian business circles: “We were not the ones who organized the coup in Ukraine; they were always telling us that elections had to be held and that there should be democracy. They executed a coup, as if that was what was needed, a bloody coup in the end.”
Putin’s remarks followed criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he is “definitely thinking” about imposing new sanctions on Russia after a massive drone and missile attack on areas in Ukraine.
Trump added on Sunday: “I am not happy with what Putin is doing; he is killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what has happened to him. I have known him for a long time, and we always had an understanding, but now he is launching missiles at cities and killing people, and that does not please me at all… I am shocked.”
