Russia Criticizes NATO Chief’s Call to Prepare for Large-Scale War

The EU Council approved sanctions against individuals and entities supporting the Russian shadow fleet.

On Sunday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov criticized NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s recent remarks urging alliance members to prepare for a large-scale conflict with Russia as “irresponsible.”

In a speech on Dec. 11, Rutte warned member countries to prepare for a possible war on a scale similar to that “our grandparents or great-grandparents endured,” adding that NATO could become “Russia’s next target.”

The NATO chief “simply does not understand what he is talking about,” and his remarks appeared to be made by “a person from the generation that has forgotten what World War II was like,” Peskov said, emphasizing that Russians remember the horrors of war and cherish the legacy of their forefathers and the sacrifices made to save Europe from fascism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently declared that Russia is prepared to “document in any form” its commitment not to attack Europe.

🚨The END to NATO

The Biggest Threat in the World is NATO.

NATO has been encircling Russia since the nineties.

NATO has never defended anyone, but only attacked.

NATO is a military Alliance that feeds on war.https://t.co/jJdO72uKjz pic.twitter.com/8UTTWcaRl3

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) December 10, 2025

On Monday, the European Union’s foreign ministers approved sanctions against five individuals and four entities responsible for supporting Russia’s shadow fleet and its value chain. The European Union Council indicated that the individuals sanctioned are businesspeople directly or indirectly linked to the major Russian state-owned oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.

“They are all involved in an economic sector that provides significant sources of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation. Furthermore, they control ships transporting crude oil or petroleum products, originating in or exported from Russia, concealing the true origin of the oil, while carrying out irregular and high-risk maritime practices,” the EU Council stated.

Regarding the sanctioned entities, they are “shipping companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Russia that own or operate oil tankers subject to restrictive measures imposed by the EU or other countries for being part of the Russian shadow fleet, and that transport crude oil or petroleum products using irregular and high-risk maritime practices.”

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Russia and India agreed to increase their trade exchange to an equivalent of a hundred billion dollars by 2030. pic.twitter.com/Nv6IUJ1Jzs

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 9, 2025

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Sources: Xinhua – EFE

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