Vladimir Putin said today that NATO rearmament is not a “threat” to Russia because his country has, according to him, the necessary “defense capabilities” to counter it, after more than three years of war in Ukraine that have militarized the Russian state.

The Russian president also expressed satisfaction because, he said, his army was making progress “every day” on the front line.

The Atlantic Alliance, which is due to hold a summit next week in The Hague, Netherlands, is pushing its members to increase defence spending as the conflict in Ukraine that began with Russia’s 2022 attack on its neighbour continues.

But according to Putin, “we will not consider any rearmament of NATO a threat to the Russian Federation, because we are self-sufficient in terms of security.”

“We will constantly improve our armed forces and our defense capabilities,” he also said during talks in St. Petersburg with representatives of foreign news agencies, including the French news agency.

An increase in defense spending by NATO member countries to 5 percent of their GDP would create “concrete” challenges for Russia, Vladimir Putin admitted, but he said that such an increase in spending would make “no sense” for the alliance’s members.

“We will deal with all the threats that will arise. There is no doubt about that,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky has called on Vladimir Putin to meet personally to find a solution to the conflict, an option the Russian president rejects, as do Kiev’s demands for an unconditional cease-fire.

But today, Putin said he is open to such a summit, but exclusively in the context of the “final stage” of negotiations.

“I am even ready to meet (Zelensky), but only if it is the last stage” of the talks, the Russian president told representatives of foreign news agencies.

However, he again questioned the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leader, whose presidential term officially expired in May 2024.

Kyiv has been unable to hold a presidential election due to the Russian aggression and the implementation of martial law.

“I am ready to meet everyone, including Zelensky. That’s not the issue there. If the Ukrainian state trusts a certain person to conduct negotiations, then, for God’s sake, that person can be Zelensky,” the Russian head of state said. “It matters little who is negotiating, even if it is the current head of the regime,” he added.

Putin also said that a solution “must be found that not only puts an end to the current conflict, but also creates the necessary conditions to prevent the recurrence of such situations in the long term.”