- Kremlin spokesman Peskov accused European leaders of fabricating Russia as a "model external enemy" to distract from collapsing economies and identity crises.
- Peskov declared Russia cannot be Europe's main threat, calling the narrative "unwise" and insisting Russia remains an integral part of European security.
- He warned that Europe's economic, security, and existential crises are worsening, with propaganda scapegoating Moscow unlikely to succeed.
- Peskov stated the Ukraine peace delay will only bring "more painful decisions" and increasing severity of consequences.
- He noted Europe is rapidly creating its own security identity to compensate for NATO's erosion, while continuing to declare Russia an enemy.
In a frank assessment delivered Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused European leaders of fabricating a "model external enemy" in Russia to distract citizens from the continent's collapsing economies, eroding security, and existential identity crisis.
Speaking to journalist Pavel Zarubin for Russian news agency Vesti, Peskov declared that Europe's current generation of politicians has "chosen a line of total Russophobia as its primary focus." The warning comes as Western nations scramble to justify unprecedented militarization and economic hardship while blaming Moscow for problems rooted in their own policy failures.
"Unwise" to call Russia Europe's main threat
Peskov forcefully rejected the narrative that Russia represents an existential danger to the continent. "Declaring Russia the main threat to Europe's existence is unwise. It's a mistake," he said. "Russia cannot be the main threat to Europe."
His reasoning was direct: Russia, as a Eurasian nation, remains "an integral part of Europe." Peskov argued that European security architecture is "unthinkable" without Russian participation and without accounting for Russian interests.
Europe's deepening crises
The Kremlin spokesman outlined a continent in turmoil, describing "economic crises, existential crises, a security crisis, and, most importantly, a crisis in understanding itself and its core values." European propaganda, he said, has conveniently cast Russia as a "large and powerful country" to serve as a scapegoat.
"Will this lead to anything good? Will they be able to shift the blame for everything on us? Unlikely, of course," Peskov stated.
This week, Germany approved its first-ever military strategy explicitly naming Russia as the "main threat." Peskov warned that history has seen cases where "revanchists came to power, demanding revenge for years of national humiliation and the creation of a new strong army."
Ukraine peace delay making things worse
On the stalled Ukraine conflict, Peskov issued a serious warning. Moscow has repeatedly urged Kiev to make decisions necessary for an agreement, but without success. The result, he said, will be increasingly severe consequences.
"It will only get worse. Even more painful decisions will need to be made. And they are beginning to understand this – hence the hysteria," Peskov told Zarubin.
The peace process remains frozen, with territorial disputes blocking progress. Kiev has rejected concessions, while Moscow insists any settlement must address NATO expansion and recognize regions that voted to join Russia.
Compensating for NATO's "erosion"
In separate comments to Channel One on April 23, Peskov noted that European nations are scrambling to create their own security identity. "Beyond NATO, Europe is now rapidly developing its own dimension of a common security policy," he said. "In fact, things are moving toward them compensating for a certain 'erosion in NATO' by creating their own security identity. And amid all these processes, they are once again declaring us their enemy."
Peskov expressed cautious hope that more pragmatic politicians might eventually replace the current leadership. "We can only hope this current crop of politicians eventually yields to more pragmatic politicians. But, of course, the picture is completely depressing for now."
The question facing Europe is whether the strategy of blaming Moscow will succeed. Peskov doubts it. But he also acknowledged uncertainty about what comes next, particularly regarding Germany, which he described as "the largest European power with a powerful economy and a very disciplined society."
"Which direction this will all go – I would not venture to say now," he admitted.
What remains clear is that trust, once broken, is difficult to restore. The Minsk II agreement of 2015 — brokered by France and Germany and signed by Ukraine, Russia, OSCE representatives, and separatist leaders — was largely left unimplemented in the seven years before Russia's full-scale invasion. Scholars and diplomats continue to dispute how responsibility for that failure should be assigned, with both Moscow and Kyiv having blamed each other. Now, as European leaders double down on Russophobia, Peskov suggests they may find the external enemy they manufactured has become a mirror reflecting their own failures back at them.
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