Vladimir Putin launched a furious attack on European leaders during a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Defence. The Russian President discussed the war in Ukraine with his minister Andrey Belousov and the head of the Kremlin’s army Valery Gerasimov.

Belousov told Putin that Russia had taken control of Kupyansk in Kharkiv region, although his claim is not borne out by events on the ground. Ukraine has cut off and pinned down Russian units in the city in a counterattack, with intense fighting ongoing. Putin later delivered a speech in which he gave full vent to his contempt and disdain for Western leaders.

In an extraordinary rant, he called European politicians “pigs” who wanted “to feast on the collapse of Russia.”

He accused the US of starting the war under Joe Biden and said Russia had successfully fended off Western efforts to defeat it.

He said: “Everybody believed that in a short period of time they woudl destroy and disintegrate Russia and Europe’s little pigs immediately joined in the work of the previous American administration, hoping to feast on the collapse of our country,” he raged.

The Kremlin tyrant said Russia was open to resuming diplomacy with the continent “if not with the current politicians, then when the political elites in Europe are replaced”.

Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Brussels ahead of a crunch meeting of the European Council starting on Thursday.

Politicians will discuss EU plans to use frozen Russian assets to help finance a loan for Ukraine. Russia currently has some £185billion of assets stranded in financial institutions in Europe.

Much of that money is held by Euroclear in Belgium, whose prime minister has strenuously objected to using the Russian funds.

The issue has provoked fierce debate and division among Western leaders, who must decide whether to press ahead with the EU plans.

Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban said any attempt to use the Russian assets to fund Ukraine could only be interpreted as “an act of war”. He told reporters he had written to Putin to ask whether Russia would hit back at the EU.