Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stark warning to European nations on Tuesday, saying that if Europe initiates a conflict with Moscow, Russia is prepared to respond with overwhelming force — so severe, he claimed, that “there would be no one left to negotiate a peace deal with.”
Nearly four years into the war in Ukraine, European countries have largely backed Kyiv as Russia continues its stalled campaign. European leaders fear a Russian victory could eventually threaten NATO members, a concern Putin has repeatedly dismissed.
Responding to reports that Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó suggested Europe was preparing for war, Putin insisted Moscow seeks no confrontation. But he added:
“If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it, it would end so swiftly for Europe that Russia would have no one left to negotiate with.”
He used the Russian word for “war,” according to Reuters.
Putin also claimed that the conflict in Ukraine is not a full-scale war, describing Russia’s actions as “surgical” and designed to avoid direct confrontation with European powers.
He accused European governments of sabotaging former U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace efforts by proposing offers they knew Russia would reject, enabling them to portray Moscow as unwilling to negotiate. “They are on the side of war,” Putin said, arguing that Europe isolated itself diplomatically by cutting ties with Russia.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, tens of thousands of troops have been deployed to Ukraine in the largest clash between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. U.S. officials estimate more than 1.2 million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed.
Putin also warned that Russia could sever Ukraine’s access to the sea in retaliation for recent drone attacks on Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.
