'I won't do it anymore' — Putin jokes, dismissing European drone sightings
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 2, President Vladimir Putin mocked European concern over drone sightings, denied stationing troops on the Finnish border, and dismissed NATO as a "paper tiger."
When asked by a moderator, "Why have you sent so many drones to Denmark?” Putin laughed and replied, "I won’t do it anymore." He denied Russian involvement in recent drone activity and likened the sightings to UFO reports.
European countries including Denmark, Germany, and Poland have reported multiple drone incursions in recent weeks. While the source of many remains unclear, Polish authorities said Moscow intentionally violated its airspace on Sept. 10.
Putin also commented on Finland, which joined NATO last year, and insisted Russia had no troops near the border but threatened to deploy them. "Now they will be there," he said.
The remark echoed earlier warnings that Moscow would respond to the alliance's expansion.
Putin also pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently labeled Russia a "paper tiger."
"I'm not going to ever call anybody a paper tiger, but Russia spent millions and millions of dollars on bombs, missiles, ammunition, and lives, their lives, and they've gained virtually no land," Trump said last week, discussing Russia's ongoing war – and lack of territorial gains — in Ukraine.
"A paper tiger. What follows then? Go and deal with this paper tiger," Putin responded.
"If we are fighting with the entire NATO bloc, we are moving, advancing, and we feel confident, and we are a 'paper tiger,' then what is NATO itself?"
