Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Tuesday that Moscow is prepared to fight if European powers choose to start a war, saying any such conflict would end so decisively that “there would be no one left to negotiate with in Europe.” His comments come nearly four years into the war in Ukraine, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Russia has not achieved its original goals in Ukraine, a much smaller country backed by the United States and major European nations. European governments have repeatedly argued that if Putin wins the war in Ukraine, he could later target a NATO member. Putin has dismissed these concerns as baseless.
Responding to reports that Hungary’s foreign minister warned Europe may be edging toward war with Russia, Putin said Moscow does not want a confrontation with Europe. But he issued a stark warning: if Europe “starts a war,” Russia is ready. He claimed that a direct conflict would be far more destructive than the ongoing fighting in Ukraine, which he described as a limited and “surgical” operation.
Putin also accused European governments of standing in the way of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the conflict. He claimed that European proposals were deliberately crafted to be unacceptable to Moscow, allowing European leaders to blame Russia for blocking peace efforts. Because many European states have severed diplomatic contacts with Moscow, Putin argued they have effectively excluded themselves from any meaningful peace discussions.
“They are on the side of war,” he said.
Putin also threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea in response to recent drone attacks on Russian tankers operating in the Black Sea. The tankers are part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet,” used to transport oil while avoiding Western sanctions.
The remarks add to growing tensions between Russia and Western countries as the war continues with no clear end in sight.
