WASHINGTON, December 29. /TASS/. European leaders' claims about the threat of an attack from Russia are illogical and "dangerous nonsense," Professor Peter Kuznick, Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University in Washington, told TASS.

Commenting on Sunday's meeting between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky, the American political scientist noted: "Trump said little about the Europeans except for praising their leaders and stating that they would have to take primary responsibility for security guarantees." "He did not say, as I and others have been saying of late, that European leaders have been trying to frighten their publics into backing Ukraine and sacrificing needed social programs to spend more on their militaries based on the logic-defying insistence that if Russia comes away with a victory in Ukraine, then the Europeans will be Putin's next target," Kuznick pointed out. "As [NATO Secretary General Mark] Rutte, [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz, [French President Emmanuel] Macron, [European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen, [Polish Prime Minister Donald] Tusk, [EU foreign policy chief Kaja] Kallas, and others keep saying, more and more shrilly, Putin is eyeing Europe and war is imminent, which I think is dangerous nonsense," the expert stressed.

On December 28, US leader received Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate near West Palm Beach, Florida. At a joint press conference following the talks, Trump acknowledged that the territorial issue remains unresolved in the Ukrainian settlement process. At the same time, he opined that Russia, the US, and Ukraine are now "much closer" to a deal than ever before. According to the US president, an agreement could be reached in "a few weeks." However, Trump also admitted that it may not be possible to reach an agreement at all.

On December 17, President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry’s board that politicians in Europe are "raising the level of hysteria" and "instilling fears" about the inevitability of a clash with Russia. He called claims of a potential Russian attack on Europe "lies and delusions."