Photo: Collected
Moscow does not want to get drawn into any conflict with Europe, but if such a war breaks out, Russia is fully prepared, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
The news was reported by The Telegraph, the influential British media outlet.
According to the report, Putin made the remarks on Thursday (29 October), following his phone conversations with the leaders of Norway and Finland. After the calls, he said he supported the initiative taken to mend relations with European countries.
Putin also issued a warning: Russia is ready for a possible war with Europe. If tensions keep rising until war cannot be avoided, no side will win. Western countries are preparing for a possible conflict with Russia by 2030. On this, Putin said, ‘We are ready, but we do not want any war with Europe. But if any of them want to prepare for war, they can do so.’
Putin took almost the same position in December 2025. At the time he said, ‘We are not planning to fight a war with Europe. But if Europe suddenly decides to go to war against us and starts one, we are ready right now.’
On Thursday, Putin also said the West had failed to achieve its goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. In the Russian president’s words, ‘If a war starts between Russia and Europe, no side will win’. He also urged Europe ‘not to forget’ this.
Earlier, Putin spoke by phone with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The Russian leader said the initiative for the calls came from the European leaders themselves. He described the talks as a step in the right direction.
Source: The Telegraph
Background
According to a joint statement published on the Norwegian government’s website, Stubb and Store spoke to Putin by phone from Helsinki on 27 October. The call followed up on a meeting in Oslo on 20 October and was held in consultation with Ukraine; the statement said the two leaders spoke on behalf of their own countries, not for Europe as a whole.
A Kyiv Independent report shows that Putin made the December 2025 remark on 2 December, just before a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: Government of Norway (regjeringen.no), 27 October 2026; Kyiv Independent, 2 December 2025
