Vladimir Putin has declared that if Europe wants a war, then Russia is already prepared. His remarks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to hear from US negotiators once they conclude their meetings in Moscow on a proposed peace deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking after an investment forum in Moscow on Tuesday, December 2, Putin claimed that European leaders have no real interest in peace, insisting they are aligned with war and pushing demands in the Ukraine conflict that Russia will never accept.
“We’re not planning to go to war with Europe — I’ve said this a hundred times,” he stated. “But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts it, we’re ready right now. There should be no doubt about that.”
He issued a further warning: “If Europe chooses to start a war with us, a situation could quickly arise where there is no one left for us to negotiate with.”
Putin also accused European countries of sabotaging efforts by the US administration and Donald Trump to reach a peace agreement. He went on to claim that the city of Pokrovsk is fully under Russian military control — a claim Ukraine has rejected.
Calling recent attacks on Russian tankers “piracy,” Putin said Russia will escalate its strikes on Ukrainian ports and ships in response.
Meanwhile, in Dublin, Zelenskyy — speaking alongside Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin — said he is ready to meet with US President Donald Trump again, depending on the outcome of the Moscow talks. Trump’s negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are currently in Moscow discussing Washington’s peace proposal with Putin.
During the first official visit by a Ukrainian president to Ireland, Zelenskyy said the chances of ending the conflict are “better now than ever,” but cautioned that “there will be no easy decisions” and warned that there must be “no games behind Ukraine’s back.”
Describing the moment as “one of the most challenging but optimistic” since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, he said the US “is taking serious steps to end this war one way or another,” though “some things still need to be worked out.” He emphasised that what Ukraine needs is a “decent, dignified peace.”
