Overview

• At the Valdai forum, Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow’s answer to European militarization would be swift and “very convincing.”
• He raised the prospect of a “mirrored” response to attacks on the Russian‑held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, telling Kyiv to consider Ukraine’s own reactors.
• Putin claimed Russian forces control the center of Kupyansk and nearly two thirds of the city, and he asserted Russia has sufficient personnel with losses far below Ukraine’s.
• He accused Ukrainian sabotage groups of repeatedly blowing high‑voltage lines to the Kursk and Smolensk nuclear plants, calling the actions terrorist.
• A Russian diplomat linked a pause in settlement efforts to limited U.S. influence in Europe, outside commentary predicted Western costs with Russia setting endgame terms, and state media highlighted foreign coverage portraying EU fears as overstated.