Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned that Russia is “ready” for war if European nations provoke conflict, accusing European leaders of attempting to sabotage peace efforts in Ukraine. His remarks came ahead of high-level talks in Moscow with US envoy Steve Witkoff and former White House advisor Jared Kushner, aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict.
“We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters. He added that European leaders have “no peaceful agenda” and are undermining US-led efforts to broker a resolution.
Putin also criticized changes made by European nations to former President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan, claiming the amendments were intended “to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia.”
The Trump-backed proposal has faced criticism from Kyiv and European capitals, which argue it concedes too much to Moscow, particularly on territorial issues. European countries have stressed that any peace agreement must not impose an unfair settlement on Ukraine.
The US envoys are working to finalize the plan with the consent of both Moscow and Kyiv, in hopes of bringing an end to the protracted war.
