Video: Putin says Russia “ready” for war, accuses Europe of blocking Ukraine peace
Russian President, Vladimir Putin
Abdullateef Fowewe
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Russia is “ready” for war if Europe decides to pursue one, accusing European leaders of undermining efforts to bring peace to the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine.
Video link: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSfGEwFp7/
His statements came ahead of high-stakes negotiations in Moscow with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are pushing a US-brokered peace plan.
“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, emphasising, “They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war.”
Putin criticised changes made by European leaders to the draft peace plan, saying these amendments “aimed solely at one thing — to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia.”
The 28-point plan, backed by former US President Donald Trump, has faced pushback from Kyiv and European countries who believe it concedes too much to Russia’s demands, especially regarding territorial issues. European officials fear that a coerced peace deal could force Ukraine into an unfavorable settlement amid continued threats of Russian aggression.
Currently, the US envoys are working to finalise the plan with the approval of both Moscow and Kyiv, seeking to bring an end to the long-running conflict.
