Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at an investment forum in Moscow that if Europe wants war, Russia is ready now, according to a report by Sky News on Tuesday.

We are not planning a war with Europe, I have said this a hundred times. If Europe wants to fight us and starts, we are ready right now. There can be no doubt about that. If Europe suddenly wants to start a war and does, then very quickly a situation may arise in which we will have no one to negotiate with

– said the Russian president.

According to press reports, Vladimir Putin stated that the Europeans have no peaceful goals, are on the side of war, and are making demands in the war in Ukraine that are unacceptable to Russia.

Europeans are also obstructing the US administration and Donald Trump in their efforts to reach a peace agreement through negotiations

– the Russian president has warned. Vladimir Putin claimed that the city of Pokrovsk is fully under the control of the Russian army after the Moscow Defense Ministry released footage showing Russian soldiers waving flags in the frontline city. The president described the attacks on Russian tankers as “piracy” and indicated that Russia would expand strikes on Ukrainian ports and ships in response.

The Russian president's words regarding Europe can be heard from the 5th minute and 55th second of the video below.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reacted: if Putin spits in the world's face again, there will be consequences

Ukraine's Foreign Minister has responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement warning that Russia is ready for conflict if Europe wants war. Andriy Sibikha wrote on social media that the Russian president's words show that he has no plans to end the war.

"For the second day in a row, Putin has been making statements that show that he has no plans to end the war. Yesterday he said that he was ready to survive the winter. Today he is threatening seaports and freedom of navigation. These threats are primarily directed at Odessa, which President Trump spoke about with great warmth," the Ukrainian minister said.

Russia must end the bloodshed it has started. If this does not happen and Putin spits in the world's face again, there must be consequences. Russia must stop wasting the world's time that should be spent on peacetime

– Andriy Sibikha stated. “We fully support any honest effort that can bring about a fair peace. The Ukrainian and US teams, together with our European partners, have worked hard and made significant progress. Now it is time to put an end to the source of the war in Moscow,” he concluded.

For the second day in a row, Putin makes statements that demonstrate that he does not plan to end the war.

Yesterday he said he was prepared to fight through the winter. Today, he threatens sea ports and freedom of navigation. And these threats are directed first and foremost at…

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) December 2, 2025

The possibility of a NATO action has been raised.

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded to a NATO official's statement about a direct conflict."Moscow considers the statement by Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, about possible preemptive strikes against Russia as an extremely irresponsible step, which indicates the alliance's readiness for escalation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The diplomat drew attention to Dragone's recent interview with the Financial Times, in which the NATO official spoke of a"preemptive strike" that appeared to be a "defensive action," adding: "This is far from our usual way of thinking and behaving."

We consider Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's statement about possible preemptive strikes against Russia to be a highly irresponsible step, demonstrating the Alliance's readiness for further escalation. We consider it a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Those making such statements should be aware of the risks involved and the possible consequences, including for Allied members themselves

– said Maria Zakharova. According to the Russian diplomat, NATO has long been no longer hiding its true goals and intentions. “At the same time, the bloc’s leadership has the conscience to accuse Russia of belligerent nuclear rhetoric, intimidation and hybrid warfare, without any evidence of our participation,” she stated.

Maria Zakharova emphasized: “Against the backdrop of the anti-Russian hysteria fueled by the alliance and fears of an imminent Russian attack on the bloc’s member states, such statements not only add fuel to the fire, but also seriously inflame the already existing confrontation.” “Brussels loves to repeat the mantra about the purely defensive nature of the alliance. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone’s self-accusatory statements about preemptive strikes put an end to this mythology,” she concluded, according to a report by TASS.

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