Vladimir Putin has delivered a stark warning to Europe, stating that Russia is ‘prepared’ for conflict, following his dismissal of Donald Trump’s most recent peace proposal.
During his presidential campaign, Trump claimed he would resolve the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of assuming office again, yet the situation has proven to be far more intricate.
As he approaches a year in his presidency, the war in Europe shows no signs of winding down. Recently, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, engaged in a five-hour meeting at the Kremlin.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to Vladimir Putin who participated in the discussions, remarked that significant progress remains before another meeting between Putin and Trump can be arranged.
“We could agree on some things, and the president confirmed this to his interlocutors,” Yuri Ushakov stated. “Other things provoked criticism – and the president also didn’t hide our critical and even negative attitude toward a number of proposals.”
A contentious issue in the peace negotiations is whether Ukraine will concede the entire Donbas region, a condition Russia insists upon for any peace agreement.
“Territorial issues were specifically discussed, without which we see no resolution to the crisis,” Ushakov noted.
Despite the ongoing challenges in reaching a peace deal, the Russian official described the discussions as ‘rather useful, constructive and rather substantive’.
Before Ushakov’s comments, Putin had issued a warning that Russia is prepared for conflict if war were to erupt in Europe.
“We’re not planning to go to war with Europe, I’ve said that a hundred times,” Putin commented following an investment forum.
He added, “But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we’re ready right now. There can be no doubt about that.”
Putin continued: “If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and does, then a situation could very quickly arise in which we have no one to negotiate with.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in Dublin on Tuesday (December 2), emphasized the importance of the discussions between Moscow and Washington.
“The future and the next steps depend on these signals,” he stated at a press conference. “If the signals show fair play with our partners, we then might meet very soon.”
Zelenskyy added, “Our people are dying every day. I am ready … to meet with President Trump. It all depends on the talks.”