The Kremlin said on Thursday that European officials talking up the prospect of a war with Russia were seeking to demonise Moscow as an enemy and warned that the United States would try to make Europe foot the bill for supporting Ukraine.
When asked about a Wall Street Journal report that European officials had expressed concern about the risk of a conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
"The situation is obvious: These are attempts to demonise Russia, to create the image of an enemy who is used to knock out additional money from taxpayers."
Russia's invasion of Ukraine - something it calls a special military operation - triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and both Moscow and Washington have warned of the risk of a conflict between NATO and Russia.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned in 2022 that a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would trigger World War Three. Russian President Vladimir Putin had dismissed Biden's remarks that Russia would attack NATO.
Russian officials say claims by Western politicians that Russia could attack NATO are nonsense, though Western officials point to Russian denials that its troops would attack Ukraine head of the 2022 war.
The West has given Ukraine around $250 billion in aid and weapons, but a Ukrainian summer counteroffensive failed and Russia remains in control of just under a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
European leaders are discussing an additional 50 billion euro ($54 billion) support package for Ukraine.
"We are monitoring," Peskov said of the EU discussions. "We understand that Kyiv continues to experience problems, and the collective West is also experiencing problems."
"Obviously, there will be a process of trying to shift the financial burden of Washington's support for the Kyiv regime onto the shoulders of European taxpayers."
Kyiv says it will not rest until every Russian soldier leaves its territory and a law passed by the Ukrainian parliament has made any talks with Russia illegal.
