Russia is open to resuming contacts and restoring relations with European countries, President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission.

According to a transcript published on the Kremlin’s Max channel, Putin said some European leaders were trying to persuade their populations that the threat of conflict with Russia was increasing, The Caspian Post reports.

He argued that Western politicians were using such claims to justify what he described as excessive spending on support for Kyiv.

“If we speak frankly, Russia has no aggressive intentions toward the West,” Putin said, according to the transcript.

“We are ready for cooperation and to restore relations with our European neighbours,” he added.

Putin also said European voters had indicated through elections that they did not want a war with Moscow. According to the Russian president, voters were casting their ballots against conflict and European leaders should take that message into account.

He accused European politicians of using bellicose rhetoric to bolster declining approval ratings, while having made what he described as numerous mistakes in economic and social policy.

Putin also said Moscow was monitoring European military exercises in the Baltic Sea. He claimed that participants had practiced scenarios involving the seizure of civilian vessels.

The Russian president urged Europe to “live in peace” and said Moscow would respond if threats emerged, adding that such threats were not diminishing.

During the meeting, Putin and government officials also discussed a draft of Russia’s new state armament programme. Russia plans to establish serial production of modern weapons systems and military equipment, with the stated aim of ensuring that its armed forces can respond rapidly to emerging threats.

Putin reiterated that Russia would enter into a war with Europe only if European troops were deployed to Ukraine. Such a move, he said, would lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and European forces.

The Russian president also criticised Western discussions about deploying a foreign military contingent to Ukraine.