Putin warns he is prepared for war with Europe

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 19:09 · Archive

Vladimir Putin said Russia is prepared for a potential conflict with Europe, though it does not want one, warning there would be 'no winners'.

Vladimir Putin said Russia is prepared for a potential war with Europe, though he insisted his country does not want one. Speaking at a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow on Thursday, Putin warned that if tensions escalated too far, there would be 'no winners'. He noted that people were discussing preparation for war by 2030, but said Europe had failed to achieve its goal of defeating Russia and that this was unlikely by then.

Putin said: 'Many people keep talking about preparing for war by 2030. Is that right or wrong. First of all, we are ready, but we don't want any war with Europe. As for them, if anyone wants it, let them prepare.' He added: 'And if things go too far, there will be no winners at all. Let no one forget that.' Putin said he supports any steps aimed at restoring relations with European countries and expressed willingness to engage in dialogue.

During the press conference, Putin also revealed he had held conversations with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere. All three outlets report he welcomed these calls as a step in the right direction, with The Mirror reporting that the initiative came from the European leaders. Putin did not provide details about what the discussions entailed.

The Nordic leaders' direct contact with Putin attracted criticism from their counterparts. According to the Independent World, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed concern, with Frederiksen urging Europe's leaders to 'stick together' on Ukraine and Kristersson noting that other European leaders said they were not informed of the talks.

European military leaders fear Russia is escalating what it calls 'hybrid attacks' against NATO as a way of probing the bloc's defence and pressuring countries supporting Ukraine, the Daily Mail reports. Western defence intelligence has previously stated that by 2030, Russia could possess the necessary resources to launch an attack on NATO.

How it is being reported

• Putin fires warning that Russia stands ‘ready for war’ with Europe and ‘there will be no winners’Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference at the Russia-Africa Summit (Picture: Getty) Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe – but does not want one. The Kremlin leader said he supports steps to restore relations with European countries…Metro · 29 Oct, 20:28
• Putin declares Russia 'ready for war' with Europe but warns there'll be 'no winners'Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country is 'ready' for war with Europe, but insists he does not want itThe Mirror · 29 Oct, 18:54
• Putin says Russia is ‘ready for war’ with Europe in chilling threatRussian president recently spoke to the leaders of Norway and FinlandIndependent World · 29 Oct, 18:54
• Putin warns the West he is 'prepared for war' and if 'things go too far, there will be no winners'In a chilling new threat to the West, the Russian tyrant said there would be 'no winners' if he entered a conflict with Nato.Daily Mail · 29 Oct, 18:23

In this story: Vladimir Putin · Alexander Stubb · Jonas Gahr Stoere · Mette Frederiksen · Ulf Kristersson · Russia · Europe · NATO

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log