Russia has accused Europe of preparing for a “major war” after a top NATO official suggested the alliance may consider launching “pre-emptive strikes” against Vladimir Putin.
Moscow lashed out at the proposal, accusing the West of “moving towards escalation”, despite Putin’s ongoing shadow war of sabotage, cyberattacks, and airspace violations across Europe.
The warning came after Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, said the alliance could be compelled to act proactively rather than wait to react, marking a major potential shift in its defence posture.
Putin’s covert campaign across Europe has included fires and explosions, such as the blaze at a Ukrainian-owned warehouse in east London, along with the severing of undersea Baltic cables and widespread cyber intrusions. These attacks, Dragone told the Financial Times, are forcing NATO to reassess how it responds to hybrid warfare.
In Moscow’s response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the remarks as “an extremely irresponsible step” and claimed they showed “the alliance’s readiness to continue moving towards escalation.”
She added: “We see in it a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to overcome the Ukrainian crisis. The people making such statements should be aware of the risks and possible consequences, including for the alliance members themselves.”
Russia’s ambassador to Belgium, Denis Gonchar, also accused NATO of “intimidating its population with the Kremlin’s non-existent plans to attack the alliance countries,” insisting the West is “preparing for a major war with Russia.”
The exchange comes as peace negotiations over the Ukraine war continue. On Monday, Donald Trump said talks were “going along well,” with both U.S. and European officials describing recent sessions as productive.
The Kremlin confirmed that Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Moscow for further discussions.
Meanwhile, Russia continues its lethal bombardment of Ukraine, with at least four more people killed in a strike on Monday, December 1.
Speculating on the possibility of NATO acting first, Dragone said the alliance is examining all options:
“We are studying everything. On cyber, we are kind of reactive. Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about.”
He noted that cyber counter-attacks would be the easiest to execute since many NATO members have strong digital capabilities, while retaliating for physical sabotage or drone incursions would be more complicated — but “not out of the question.”
He added that a “pre-emptive strike” could, in certain circumstances, be considered defensive, though it is “further away from our normal way of thinking.”
Several eastern European nations have already urged NATO to abandon a purely reactive stance. One Baltic diplomat said: “If all we do is continue being reactive, we just invite Russia to keep trying, keep hurting us. Hybrid warfare is asymmetric, it costs them little, and us a lot. We need to be more inventive.”
The debate comes as Ukraine faces intense pressure to reach a settlement, while President Volodymyr Zelensky grapples with mounting military and political challenges at home.