Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia did not want a war with European powers,but that if Europe did want a war,then Russia was ready right now to fight.
The Russian President said that European powers were making demands on a possible peace settlement for Ukraine that Moscow considers absolutely unacceptable.
‘The question is: if Europe starts a war with us,I believe that very quickly…this is not Ukraine,’ Putin said.
‘With Ukraine,we act in a surgical,careful way,you understand,right? It is not war in the full,modern sense of the word. If Europe chooses to start a war,the situation can very quickly reach a point where there will be no one left for us to negotiate with.’
Vladimir Putin appears to almost smile during the talks with the US delegation
(Picture: AP)
His comments came before special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner landed in Moscow for talks on ending the fighting.
Peace talks between the US and Russian delegations ended after a mammoth five-hour session.
Yuri Ushakov,a top Putin official,told reporters following Tuesday’s meeting that the talks were ‘constructive,very useful and substantive’ but said a compromise to the lingering territorial issues in Ukraine wasn’t found.
‘The territorial issue,naturally,is the most important for us,and for the Americans too. A compromise option has not yet been found,but some American developments look more or less acceptable,but they need to be discussed,’ he said.
‘Some formulations that were proposed to us are acceptable to us.’
‘We are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine,and there is much work to be done,’ Ushakov said.
Putin already accused Europe of ‘hindering’ peace proposals from the United States,claiming they don’t have a ‘peaceful agenda’.
‘They don’t have a peace agenda,they’re on the side of the war,’ Putin said.
Vladimir Putin,third right,sits opposite special envoy Steve Witkoff,second left,and Jared Kushner,U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law in the Kremlin (Picture: AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said ‘everything depends on today’s discussions’ as he waits for an update on the Moscow talks.
Writing on X,he said: ‘Ukraine will be waiting for signals from the American delegation after its meetings in Russia. The US delegation intends to brief us directly immediately after those meetings. The next steps will depend on those signals. We will receive signals of one kind or another.
‘If the signals work out in a certain way – if it is fair play with our partners – then we may meet with the American delegation very quickly. At what level – we will see,depending on the signals. If the signals open the possibility and the chance for global but swift decisions,then the meeting will take place at a higher level.
‘I am ready to receive all the signals and ready for a meeting with President Trump.’
Vladimir Putin made the remarks days after claiming he had ‘no plans’ to attack Europe (Picture: AP)
Nothing that Nato allies have done so far – sanctioning Russia and sending more weapons to Ukraine,or attempts for negotiations – has done the job to stop Vladimir Putin so far,resulting in Zelensky’s push to ‘tackle this big challenge’.
Days ago,Putin claimed he had ‘no plans to attack Europe’ after France announced conscription efforts.
President Emmanuel Macron said the policy was in response to growing fears about a conflict with Russia.
‘The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it,’ he said.
Last week,Russia rejected Europe’s 28-point peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine by killing four people in its latest aerial strike.
A projection earlier this year showed that Moldova could be in Putin’s sights (Picture: Getty)
What the future holds for Ukraine and the rest of Europe is a conundrum a number of experts have attempted to solve.
Earlier this year,Metro projected the timeline for Putin’s Eurasian Empire,with the help of United24,released as a warning on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion.
Starting from May 2025 – and ending,sort of,in September 2030,it shows key moments in the future that lead to an eventual new ‘special military operation’ on NATO.
According to the projection, Russia captures Moldova,through the puppet government of Transnistria,by deploying North Korean soldiers sent as a favour by Kim Jong-un.
Zelensky has previously warned that Moldova,alongside Lithuania,Latvia,and Estonia,may be Putin’s next targets after Ukraine.
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