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Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed back against Western positions surrounding the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russia now shares a “mutual understanding” with the US and reiterating that Russia has never opposed Ukraine’s EU ambitions.

Getting into it: During a high-profile meeting in Beijing with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Putin drew a clear line between Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union and its potential NATO membership. He said that Moscow has“never objected” to Ukraine’s EU bid but firmly rejected the idea of NATO expansion, calling it “unacceptable” to Russia’s national security. “As for NATO, this is another issue… Our position here is well known,” Putin stated, framing the invasion of Ukraine as a necessary response to what he described as Western efforts to absorb the post-Soviet space into hostile military alliances.

Putin also addressed growing fears that Russia could extend its aggression beyond Ukraine, calling such claims “hysteria” and “horror stories” manufactured by Western leaders to cast Moscow as a threat to Europe. “There has never been, is not, and will never be any desire to attack anyone,” he said, dismissing allegations of future attacks on NATO countries as “absolute nonsense.”

Despite this, Putin’s remarks contradict earlier statements from top Russian officials, including former President (and now deputy chairman of Russia’s security council) Dmitry Medvedev, who last year openly warned that Poland could be targeted if Ukraine were to fall.

This all comes as Putin has alluded to a shift in the US stance, claiming that Trump is beginning to understand Russia’s position on the war. Citing his recent summit with the President, Putin said a “mutual understanding” had emerged and hinted at unspecified “options” for securing Ukraine’s safety should the conflict end.