Russian President Vladimir Putin said he’s prepared to go to war with Europe while accusing European Union leaders of sabotaging peace discussions with the United States.
Putin was asked by a reporter to address Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto‘s warning that Europe was prepared to go to war with the Kremlin and, despite claiming he didn’t want to, confirmed he was prepared for such actions.
“If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it,” Putin said while speaking to reporters via Reuters on Tuesday (December 2).
Putin also claimed that the yearslong invasion of Ukraine wasn’t a full-blown war and said the Kremlin was acting in a “surgical” manner, which would not be repeated in the potential situation with the rest of Europe.
“They are on the side of war,” Putin said of European powers.
Putin was scheduled to meet with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump‘s envoy, and U.S. officials on Tuesday to discuss a potential peace agreement with Ukraine.
“I think the administration feels very optimistic,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday after the meeting in Florida via ABC News. “They had very good talks with the Ukrainians in Florida. And now, of course, Special Envoy Witkoff is on his way to Russia.”
A top Ukrainian official confirmed that progress was made during the Florida meeting but “some issues still require further refinement.” Last week, Russia claimed that a leaked phone call between Kremlin and senior U.S. officials was intended to disrupt peace talks to end its war with Ukraine, adding that it was premature to say the deal had already been reached via NBC News.
Yuri Ushakov, who serves as foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, suggested that his conversation with Witkoff being leaked was done in an effort to interfere with the negotiations.
“It is unlikely that this is done to improve relations,” he said via NBC News.
Trump previously said “we’re getting very close to a deal” to end the Russia-Ukraine war last Tuesday (November 25) following reports that Ukraine’s government had “agreed to a peace deal” earlier in the day.
“I think we’re making progress,” Trump said while pardoning two turkeys during the annual presidential Thanksgiving tradition at the White House via CBS News.
Trump’s update came hours after a U.S. official said Ukraine had agreed to a proposal to end the war with Russia as “minor details” still need to be sorted out
“The Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal. There are some minor details to be sorted out but they have agreed to a peace deal,” a U.S. Army secretary in Abu Dhabi, where meetings between the U.S. and Russian officials were taking place this week, in a statement obtained by CNN.
Ukrainian national security secretary Rustem Umerov also confirmed that the two sides had “reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed” during negotiations “in Geneva.”
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