Journalist Vitalii Portnykov said this on Espreso TV.“The war does not begin when missiles are placed near the border, but when they are already flying. When it is clear that an act of aggression has been committed against your country. A reconnaissance drone or plane is not yet war. We may call this hybrid war, and I believe the Polish prime minister is absolutely right when he says the war is already underway. However, the ideological assessment of this situation differs between the West and Russia. And in this case, the West is right,” Portnykov explained.The journalist stressed that in the Russian political elite, it is unacceptable to even consider that Russia cannot crush Ukraine. They see Ukraine as part of Russia, temporarily occupied by the West.“Russia is not at war with NATO in Ukraine. NATO countries are helping Ukraine as a victim of aggression, not because they decided to fight Russia. Putin claims he is fighting NATO not because he really is, but because this way he justifies his aggression against Ukraine. His statements about war with NATO are not a reflection of his actual actions, but rather an extension of aggression against Ukraine and an excuse for it. These words also serve as a justification for why Russia still cannot win this war. For the Russian political mindset, it is unthinkable to admit that Russia cannot defeat Ukraine. For them, Ukraine as a state does not exist — it is just Russian regions occupied by the West and some nationalists. Such territories should return to Russia as soon as a Russian soldier sets foot there. Then the question arises — what happens when this soldier cannot capture Ukraine? The answer is simple: they are supposedly fighting NATO. That is Putin’s entire logic,” he added.On September 30, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had told Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin that he “doesn't look good” and called Russia’s Security Council head Dmitry Medvedev “stupid.”On October 2,  Putin responded to Trump, who had earlier called him a 'paper tiger'.