US President Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin does not intend to attack NATO countriesemphasizing that he personally spoke with the Russian leader and “knows him well.”
The statement was made in the Oval Office amid soaring tensions between Russia and European NATO countries.
Trump on Putin:
I speak to Putin; I know him very well. Putin is not looking to attack NATO territory. pic.twitter.com/cPnaJ5SDQv
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 4, 2026
Trump actually rejected one of the main scenarios, which has been increasingly discussed in Europe in recent months: the possibility that after the conflict in Ukraine, Russia could move on to a direct military clash with one of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“I spoke to him. I know him well. “Putin does not seek to attack NATO territory.”
Thus, the American president gave a much calmer assessment of Moscow’s intentions than a number of European governments.
Trump has said this before
Moreover, this is not the first such statement by an American president.
Back on August 28, Athens News wrote that Trump had already publicly stated: Putin has no intention of attacking the UK or any other NATO country.
At the same time, a high-ranking EU official said that European intelligence services also did not detect signs of preparations for a Russian attack on the alliance countries.
But Europe acts as if it is preparing for a big war
Against this background, the contrast between Washington’s position and what is happening now in Europe is especially noticeable.
Germany is dramatically increasing military production and long-range strike capabilities.
The Athens News has already reported that Berlin first announced new stage of military confrontation with Russia – additional IRIS-T systems and thousands of attack drones for Ukraine.
Then came an even more concrete step – the launch of production 5,000 long-range attack drones for Ukraine.
In parallel, Germany is participating in the development of European deep strike systems, including ELSA, and is also preparing to deploy American long-range weapons.
Moscow is already responding to this logic
The Russian reaction is also becoming increasingly harsh.
The Athens News previously reported a direct warning from Vladimir Putin when he refused to reveal whether British military installations were being considered as potential targets, replying: “This is a military secret”.
Moscow consistently states that the further expansion of Ukraine’s long-range capabilities and the participation of Western states in their creation is gradually bringing these countries closer to the status of direct participants in the conflict.
Leipzig became a new stage of the crisis
An additional factor was the incident at Leipzig/Halle airport.
After Germany blamed Russia for the alleged sabotage operation, Berlin’s allies joined in the diplomatic pressure.
The Athens News reported that Poland and Great Britain summoned Russian diplomats over the incident in Leipzig.
That is, the German-Russian conflict is gradually ceasing to be bilateral and increasingly involving other NATO countries.
Now the pressure is also coming through civil aviation
At the same time, Ukraine opened another area of pressure – international civil aviation.
Kyiv has officially notified ICAO and foreign airlines that Russian airspace, according to Ukrainian assessments, is becoming increasingly dangerous due to drone attacks, air defense operations and electronic warfare.
Moscow responded by sending an urgent appeal to the ICAO and demanding that Ukraine’s actions be condemned.
This is no longer just a political dispute: if airlines and insurance companies begin to perceive Russian airspace as a high-risk zone, the consequences could be quite practical – flight cancellations, route changes and rising insurance costs.
This article today on ICAO should definitely be an internal link here. Once its URL has already appeared on rua.gr, it should be inserted directly into this paragraph.
Naryshkin is already talking about a big war in Eurasia
Almost simultaneously, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, said that the risk of a large-scale conflict throughout Eurasia had become “quite real.”
According to his version, European states are pursuing a policy of “controlled escalation,” hoping that they can constantly raise the stakes without crossing the threshold of direct war.
Moscow warns that at some point this model may no longer be controllable.
Here you also need to put an internal link to today’s article about Naryshkinas soon as its published URL is available on the site.
Trump sees things differently
Against this background, the position of the American president looks almost the opposite.
Trump is not saying that Russia poses no threat at all.
But he publicly says that does not see Putin’s intention to start a war with NATO.
This is the most important difference.
For Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries, current policy is based on the assumption that Russia can become a direct military threat and therefore it is necessary to create an appropriate deterrent potential in advance.
Trump, judging by his statements, considers the main task not to prepare for a major war, but to stop the current conflict in Ukraine.
New American Peace Initiative
At the same time, the US President announced that Washington was making another attempt to end the war.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading out with a new American peace proposal.
Trump said that the United States has a new idea, which, in his opinion, can give impetus to the negotiations.
“We sent them out to see if we could do anything. And there is a good chance that we will succeed.”
Thus, the United States is now acting in the logic of a diplomatic settlement, while Europe is increasingly relying on military deterrence.
Editorial comment
Trump’s statement is especially important against the backdrop of the events of the last 24 hours.
On the one hand, Europe continues to move along the path of accelerated military strengthening. Germany is increasing production of long-range weapons, including 5,000 long-range attack drones for Ukrainedevelops deep strike programs and participates in the creation of new long-range missile systems.
Moscow is no longer responding with diplomatic formulas, but with direct warnings. Today the Athens News wrote that the positions of new long-range missile systems in Germany will be considered by Russia as military targets.
Almost simultaneously, the head of the SVR Sergei Naryshkin announced that the risk of a large-scale war throughout Eurasia has become “quite real”.
According to him, European governments are pursuing a policy of “controlled escalation”, believing that they can step by step increase the level of confrontation without moving to direct war.
But at the same time, another area of conflict appears – civil aviation.
Today, Ukraine officially warned the ICAO and international airlines about the risks of flying over Russia, after which Moscow sent an urgent appeal to the ICAO. “Athens News” wrote more about this in the material “The fight for Russian skies: Ukraine warns airlines, Russia demands ICAO intervention”.
And against the backdrop of this entire sequence of events, Trump is actually saying the opposite: “I spoke with Putin. He’s not going to attack NATO.”.
It turns out that it is no longer just a difference in rhetoric, but two different strategic assessments of what is happening.
The European line today is based on the assumption that Russia can become a direct military threat to NATO. Hence the accelerated production of weapons, long-range missiles, drones, expansion of military infrastructure and preparations for a possible long-term conflict.
Trump, in fact, proceeds from a different logic: Putin does not intend to attack NATO, which means the main danger lies not in a pre-planned Russian attack, but in the fact that the chain of mutual escalation itself can gradually lead the parties to a direct clash.
This is why the current situation looks especially dangerous.
Germany is creating new long-range capabilities. Russia includes relevant positions in potential military targeting in advance. Ukraine is trying to change the attitude of international aviation towards Russian airspace. Moscow responds through ICAO. Naryshkin no longer warns about a local conflict, but about the risk of war throughout Eurasia.
At the same time, the White House says that Putin does not want a direct war between Russia and NATO.
If Trump is right, this raises a very uncomfortable question: Doesn’t current European policy itself create the threat against which it is supposedly supposed to protect?
On the other hand, if European governments are right and Russia truly poses a long-term military threat, then the current rearmament for them looks logical and even overdue.
But the problem is that both strategies are already starting to interact with each other.
Each new weapon gives rise to a new warning. Each warning becomes an argument for the next round of rearmament.
That’s why Trump’s words today are important not as another compliment to Putin, but as a warning about the deep discrepancy between the United States and Europe in assessing how close a real war between Russia and NATO is—and what exactly is bringing it closer the fastest.
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