Putin praises Trump but warns supplies of US long-range missiles to Ukraine will badly hurt ties

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield, where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances.

The potential supply of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv will signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S.," Putin said at a forum of international foreign policy experts in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Russian leader noted that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. “It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine.

Asked about Trump dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” because of its failure to defeat its smaller neighbor after more than 3 1/2 years of fighting, Putin argued that Russia has faced all the NATO allies backing Kyiv.

“We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is?” he said. “A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then.”

A White House official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity said Russia’s economy and reputation have taken a battering because of the war as Putin has repeatedly rejected proposals for a peace deal that would have benefited his country.

At the same time, Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive.

“It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis,” he said, adding that he felt “comfortable” talking to Trump.

Putin also reaffirmed his offer to the U.S. to extend their last remaining nuclear arms control pact for one more year after it expires in February. The 2010 New START treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.

“If they don't need it, we don't need it either," he said, adding that “we feel confident about our nuclear shield."

While praising Trump and trying to emphasize potential common interests, the Russian president sent a stern warning to Ukraine’s Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markers. He argued that would amount to piracy and could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilizing the global oil market.

Asked about the detention of an oil tanker off France's Atlantic coast, which President Emmanuel Macron linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers of uncertain ownership that are avoiding Western sanctions, Putin cast it as an attempt by Macron to distract public attention from his country's own internal problems and mockingly likened the French leader to Napoleon.

He strongly warned the West against such action, arguing that it defies international maritime law and risks triggering military confrontation. “It’s piracy, and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them," he said.

Putin also scoffed at Western claims of possible Russian involvement in recent drone flights over Denmark, casting them as part of purported NATO efforts to “inflame tensions to boost the defense spending.”

Intrusions into NATO’s airspace blamed on Russia reached an unprecedented scale last month. A swarm of Russian drones flew into Poland, Estonia complained about an intrusion by Russian fighter jets and numerous unidentified drones were sighted over Denmark, Germany and other countries in what some European officials described as Moscow testing NATO's response.

European defense ministers have agreed to develop a “drone wall” along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.

Putin dismissed Western allegations of Russia’s purported aggressive plans against NATO allies as “nonsense” aimed at distracting public attention from domestic problems.

“We are carefully watching the growing militarization of Europe,” he said. “Is all of this just words or is it time for us to take countermeasures? No one should have doubt that Russia’s countermeasures will not take a long time to come.”

Asked about Charlie Kirk's assassination, Putin called it a “heinous crime” that reflected a “deep split" in American society. He hailed Kirk as a hero killed for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares.

Putin also praised Michael Gloss, an American and the son of a deputy CIA chief, who joined the Russian military and was killed in action in Ukraine in 2024. He said he had awarded Gloss with a medal, which he handed to Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Moscow.

The Russian leader likened Gloss to Kirk, saying they championed similar “traditional” values. "He gave his life while defending those values as a Russian soldier, and Kirk gave his life while fighting for the same values in the United States,” Putin said.

In response to questions about Gloss, the CIA said in a statement that the agency “considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter — and not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss."

At one point during the four-hour event televised live, Putin, a former Soviet KGB officer and one-time head of Russia's top domestic security agency, misspoke and referred to himself as “the CIA director” while describing a meeting with President George W. Bush and his administration officials. “The future director,” Putin quipped as the audience broke into laughter.

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Associated Press writers David Klepper and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed.