Russian President Vladimir Putin has provocatively called UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer a “little pig” while confirming the deployment of missiles close to NATO borders. Speaking at a defense ministry meeting, Putin accused former U.S. President Joe Biden of provoking the Ukraine war, claiming, “‘European piglets’ immediately joined in to aid Biden’s administration.” He asserted that Western plans to destabilize Russia had failed.
The remarks come as Russia prepares to station its Oreshnik missile system in Belarus, placing it approximately 124 miles from the Lithuanian border and minutes from London by flight time. Ukrainian intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko stated, “The deployment… is a means of pressure primarily on the EU and NATO, not on Ukraine,” noting it would reduce strike times on European capitals.
This escalation precedes a critical EU summit on funding for Ukraine. Putin boasted of Russia’s economic and military resilience, expressing openness to dialogue with Europe, though not with its current leadership. The move intensifies regional tensions as NATO monitors the rapid military buildup.