Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that Russia is ready for a possible war with Europe, although he emphasised that Moscow does not want such a conflict. He made these remarks at a press conference dedicated to the results of the Russian-African summit, according to Slobodna Dalmacija.
Putin claimed that "many are talking about preparations for war by 2030" and that this is not correct. In his view, it is "hardly possible" to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia by 2030. He also warned that "if things get too heated, there will be no winners".
Moscow supports all steps aimed at restoring relations with Europe, both in general and with individual states, Putin said. He added that Russia does not want the situation in the Baltic Sea to become like that in the Persian Gulf and advocates for respect for international law. "We do not want this, but we will respond to any challenge," he said.
Putin noted that he had discussed the situation in the Baltic with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, at the initiative of the two leaders. He considered that Stubb and Støre had acted correctly after being subjected to criticism. He concluded that there are people in Europe who do not want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, but rather want to establish some form of constructive dialogue.
The phone call with the leaders of Norway and Finland took place on Tuesday, with the aim of influencing the Kremlin's stance on the war in Ukraine. Stubb and Støre described their talks with the Russian president as "sincere and substantive". Støre stated that he and Stubb had "emphasised the importance of de-escalation" and expressed strong support for Ukraine.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for maintaining European unity on the issue of Ukraine, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that other European leaders had not been informed about the talks. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting stated that the United Kingdom must be ready for war within 1,000 days. The government advised citizens to stockpile canned food and bottled water, and in a text for The Telegraph, Streeting warned that adversaries of the United Kingdom could be ready to attack by 2030.
On Thursday, a Russian jet-powered drone hit two trains at a station in central Ukraine. According to officials, at least 13 people were killed and 10 were injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack on passenger trains in Dnipro as "horrific". The attack occurred despite Moscow and Kyiv observing a ceasefire in one devastated city in southern Ukraine and its surroundings since Tuesday. The war has been ongoing for more than four years, and previous attempts to establish a ceasefire have mostly been unsuccessful or agreements were quickly violated.
