Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed in a US interview on Monday that Russia already considers itself at war with the West.
Nato has repeatedly refused to send troops in to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, as it does not to go to war with Putin.
Nato members have emphasised that it will only engage in direct conflict with Putin if he orders his troops to invade Nato land.
However, according to the Kremlin’s press secretary, Nato’s efforts to back Ukraine by introducing intense sanctions against Russia means it is already Putin’s “enemy”.
Peskov told US presenters on PBS News Hour that the West’s decision to turn away from Russian oil and gas means they have become “enemy-like for us”.
He said: “We entered the phase, the phase of a total war.
“And we in Russia, we will feel ourselves amongst war, because Western European countries, US, Canada, Australia, they actually are leading war against us in trade, in economy, in seizing our properties, in seizing our funds, in blocking our financial relations.
“And we have to adapt ourselves to new reality.”
He also claimed that, while the war had accelerated the Nato forces surrounding Russia, even “prior to the operation Nato was doing the same, but with a smile on its face and gradually”.
Peskov added that Russia has been warning the West about what could happen if it expands Nato eastwards for years, warning: “Don’t push us into the corner.”
He called Nato a “machine of confrontation” not an organisation of cooperation and security.
Responding to the West’s threats about escalating the conflict if Russia were to enter Nato territory, he said: “If it is not a reciprocal act, so if they don’t make us do that, we cannot think about that. And we do not want to think about that.”
The Kremlin’s spokesperson also maintained that Russia is not guilty of war crimes, alleging that its Army has not targeted civilians in their attacks.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has pointed out that a civilian bomb shelter and at least one maternity hospital has endured heavy shelling since Russia launched its “special military operation”.
In the same interview, Peskov criticised US President Joe Biden for dubbing Putin a “butcher” who should not be leading Russia.
Peskov said: “It is not for the US president to decide who is going to be and who is the president of the Russian Federation. It is people of Russia who are deciding during the election.”
Despite intelligence from Western officials that Russia’s campaign is faltering due to the strength of the Ukrainian resistance, Peskov claimed there is “no doubt” that all of the “objectives of our special military operation in Ukraine will be completed” .
Amid growing concerns that Putin could go nuclear if he fails in Ukraine, Peskov also promised: “No one is thinking about using – even about the idea of using – a nuclear weapon.”