Want to bookmark your favorite articles and stories to read or view later? Start your independent membership today.
Join us today
Already a member? Log in
Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready for a potential war with Europe in its latest threat to the continent, although he claimed Moscow did not want it.
The Russian president said his country would support any measures aimed at restoring relations with European countries, as he commented during his telephone conversation with the leaders of Norway and Finland, which took place on Tuesday.
But in a chilling threat, he said that if tensions were to escalate too much, there “would be no winners”.
“First of all, we are ready, but we do not want war with Europe,” Putin said.
“And if anyone wants, let him prepare, but so far they have not achieved their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
“And if things go too far, there will be no winners. Let no one forget that.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere held “frank and substantive” talks with the Russian president in a bid to influence the Kremlin’s position as the conflict in Ukraine rages.
Putin said they were right to make the call, despite criticism from some European capitals that the two men were breaking ranks and protocol by speaking directly with Moscow.
Follow the latest updates on the Russian-Ukrainian war here.
Stoere said he and Stubb “stressed the importance of de-escalation” and both expressed strong support for Ukraine.
But the move drew criticism from their Nordic counterparts, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who urged EU leaders to “stay together” on Ukraine.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said other European leaders also said they were not informed about the negotiations.
Putin added that Moscow does not want the Baltic Sea to face a situation similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz.
He said Russia did not want obstacles to navigation in the Baltic Sea and added that restricting communications could lead to a situation similar to that in the strait since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict in February.
“Does anyone want the same situation in the Baltic as in the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz?” Putin said.
“I don’t know. We don’t want that, but we will respond to any challenge.”
Also on Thursday, former British Chancellor Rachel Reeves urged Brussels to take control of £175 billion in frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine defend against Kremlin aggression in the face of “a desperate winter”.
In her first significant intervention since leaving government, the Labor MP told the European Union that “now is the time to act”, as kyiv faces a funding black hole and Donald Trump seeks to pressure the struggling country “to strike a deal with Moscow”.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Britain must be ready to go to war in 1,000 days, as the government asked Britons to stock up on canned goods and bottled water.
Write in The telegraphMr Streeting warned that the UK’s adversaries could be ready to attack the country in 2030.
A Russian jet drone struck two stopped trains at a station in central Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 10 others, officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a “horrible attack” that hit passenger trains in Dnipro.
Moscow and kyiv have been observing a truce in and around the devastated and occupied southern town of Oleshky since Tuesday, although they remain locked in war since Russia’s all-out invasion of their neighbor more than four years ago.
Previous efforts to secure a ceasefire either never succeeded or the truces quickly collapsed.
Gn world
