Medvedev also said "vulnerable and divided" Europe is unprepared for a war with Russia, calling its citizens "inert and pampered," adding that they "don’t want to fight for any common ideals, or even for their own land."

Europe witnessed a flurry of political and security developments on Monday, from decisive election victories in Italy and Moldova to economic warnings in the UK and heightened NATO defenses in the Baltic.

Europe and Russia are “no longer at peace” and Vladimir Putin is waging a war against the continent's freedom, according to German chancellor Friedrich Merz.Mr Merz said Moscow’s assault on Ukraine was “a war against our democracy”,

Without firing a shot, Putin has over the past week managed to bring the war in Ukraine to NATO’s European borders.

Since Stoltenberg stepped down in November 2024, Trump has further reshaped NATO’s defense spending expectations in 2025, pushing allies at the alliance’s summit in The Hague in June 2025 toward a new benchmark of 5 percent of GDP by 2035. Update 09/29/25, 3:14 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.

European diplomats warned Russian officials this week that NATO is prepared to respond to further airspace violations with force, including by shooting down Russian planes, Bloomberg reported Sept. 25.

NATO scrambles to counter Russian drones and airspace violations. Poland vows shootdowns, but allies fear escalation as Europe shoulders defence burden.

Including the U.S., the alliance is expected to spend around US$1.6 trillion on defense in 2025, up from $1.45 trillion in 2024.

While Russia does not intend to attack Europe, its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has not ruled out action against NATO aggression.