Russia Says It’s Not a Cold War but an ‘Intense’ Confrontation with the West

Russia said on Thursday that its standoff with the West is no longer a Cold War but an “intense” confrontation, accusing the European Union and NATO of spreading false claims about Moscow’s alleged sabotage operations to justify soaring military budgets.

The war in Ukraine — Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two — has triggered the most serious clash between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Asked by reporters whether Europe was building a drone “Iron Curtain” and whether a new Cold War was underway, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected the comparison.

“I disagree with calling this a Cold War,” she said. “We are in a different kind of confrontation. There has been no Cold War here for a long time — the fire is already burning.”

Less than two months after Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met at a summit in Alaska, hopes for peace appear increasingly remote. Russian forces are pressing their offensive in Ukraine, Moscow’s drones are reportedly crossing into NATO airspace, and Washington is now openly discussing striking the world’s largest nuclear power directly.

When asked about European accusations that Russia had intruded into NATO airspace, carried out sabotage, and hacked critical infrastructure, Zakharova dismissed them as baseless. She argued they reveal the EU and NATO are preparing provocations.

“All their statements point to two things,” she said. “First, that they are planning a series of provocations. Second, that they need to justify their military spending.”

Western leaders — including former U.S. President Joe Biden, European heads of state, and Ukraine — have condemned the war as an imperial-style land grab and repeatedly vowed to defeat Russia’s forces.

President Vladimir Putin has cast the war as a turning point in Russia’s relations with the West. He argues that NATO humiliated Moscow after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 by expanding eastward and encroaching on Russia’s traditional sphere of influence, including Ukraine and Georgia.