Putin accused NATO of openly preparing for war with Russia and compared the Western military buildup to Nazi Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union—a rhetorical move he uses to frame NATO as the aggressor. The statement reflects Russia's ongoing messaging strategy that portrays Western military aid to Ukraine and NATO expansion as offensive threats rather than defensive responses to Russian aggression. What's missing: Putin made these claims without presenting evidence that NATO is actively preparing to invade Russia, a key distinction between NATO's publicly stated defensive posture and Russia's characterization of it as offensive preparation.