Putin spoke for four hours, commenting on foreign policy issues. Nothing fundamentally new: just the usual verbal stream of a pensioner obsessed with alternative history.But a key change has taken place in the definition of Russia's main enemy. If previously the U.S. was clearly considered the enemy (since the famous Munich speech in 2007), now Europe is called the direct enemy.“We have no right to ignore the militarization of Europe. We must respond. And the response will be, to put it mildly, convincing,” he said.Putin understands that, unlike the U.S., Europe is not ready for war right now. According to various estimates, preparations will continue until 2027–2029. No one knows whether the U.S. will come to the rescue in the event of Russian aggression against EU countries during this period.Putin also sees a lack of determination in NATO to respond to numerous cases of aircraft and drones invading European airspace. In a few days at the end of September, drones were spotted in Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and Finland — over military bases, airports, and critical infrastructure. And not a single case of shooting them down.Europe is militarizing in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and against the backdrop of the U.S. administration's unstable position on security guarantees. Although these steps are legitimate, the Kremlin perceives them as evidence of anti-Russian aggression.Putin's words about a “convincing” response can be interpreted in different ways, but there should be no doubt that there will be a response. After all, the 2022 invasion was also presented as a response to Ukraine's militarization, when Russia “was simply left with no choice.” So, while Europe has not completed its rearmament, the U.S. is reviewing its role as a security guarantor, and the Russian army's experience is still relevant, Putin has a window of opportunity for a preemptive strike.But if tomorrow the Russian army invades Europe and the U.S. refuses to participate directly, the only real combat-ready military asset Europe has is the Ukrainian army.Everyone has been repeatedly assured that “Russia has never attacked anyone and has no plans to do so.” It had no plans to attack Georgia, seize Crimea, or occupy parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. As Lavrov said in March 2022, “we did not attack Ukraine either.” Therefore, when Putin swears that he has no intention of invading Europe, the smartest thing for Europe to do is to invest even more in the Ukrainian army and move towards forming a united European military force based on the Armed Forces of Ukraine.SourceAbout the author. Mykola Knyazhytskyi, journalist, Member of Ukrainian ParliamentThe editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog or column authors.