President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that NATO’s push to boost defense spending does not pose a “threat” to Russia, days before the alliance was expected to approve a plan to expand its military capabilities across Europe.

At a late-night press conference in St. Petersburg, Putin also said Russian forces would continue advancing in Ukraine and questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

NATO leaders will gather in The Hague next week for a key summit to discuss raising defense spending to 5% of GDP, a proposal that comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pressures member countries to contribute more to the military alliance.

Putin, who casts his war in Ukraine as part of a broader confrontation with the West, downplayed the threat posed by the alliance.

“We do not consider any rearmament by NATO to be a threat to the Russian Federation, because we are self-sufficient in terms of ensuring our own security,” Putin told a group of foreign journalists. “We are constantly modernizing our armed forces and defensive capabilities.”

While acknowledging that increased NATO spending could pose “specific” challenges, the Kremlin leader said that Russia “will counter all threats that arise. There is no doubt about that.”