Vladimir Putin has said Russia is ready for war with Europe but does not want one, as drone incidents off NATO member Romania add to fears of a wider escalation around the war in Ukraine.
The Russian president said he supports steps to restore relations with European countries after a phone call with his counterparts in Norway and Finland. Responding to Western talk of preparations for a possible conflict by 2030, he said: “We are ready for war with Europe, but we don’t want it.” He added: “As for them – if anyone desires such a thing, let them prepare.”
Putin said the West had “failed to achieve their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia” and that “it is highly unlikely that this will be possible by 2030”. He warned: “If things go too far, there will be no winners at all.”
The remarks follow similar comments earlier this month, when he said Russia was not planning to attack European countries but would respond to aggression with “all weapons” in its arsenal. He accused the West and Europe of raising tensions by discussing preparations for war with Moscow, holding military drills in the Baltic Sea and seizing Russian vessels.
A series of drone strikes in the Black Sea off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria in recent weeks has raised fears that the Kremlin is seeking to escalate and test their support for Ukraine. The October incidents are the latest in a long run of drone airspace incursions affecting Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere phoned Putin on Tuesday to urge him to end the war, breaking a long practice among Western leaders of avoiding direct contact with the Kremlin. The call came after US President Donald Trump shifted his position in favour of Russia and US ties with Ukraine reached their lowest point in 18 months.
Stoere said he and Stubb spoke with Putin for about 90 minutes and then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a joint statement they linked the initiative to planned peace talks among Russian, Ukrainian and US officials in Abu Dhabi next month, the first since February.
“The discussion (with Putin) was frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries to Russia,” Stubb said. “The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions.”
The Kremlin’s account did not suggest any softening. It said a just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account, and it pointed to what it called the confrontational policies of EU and NATO countries as contributing to the prolongation of the hostilities.