Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a stark warning to European powers this week, declaring that if they choose to start a war with Russia, Moscow is ready to fight and the resulting defeat would be so devastating that there would be nobody left to negotiate a peace deal.
Putin made these comments while speaking with journalists in Moscow on December 2, 2025, during the VTB Investment Forum Russia Calling! This isn’t just a tough talk; it’s a direct threat. He used the Russian word for “war” when detailing the potential conflict, emphasizing that if Europe “suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it,” the engagement would end so quickly for Europe that Russia wouldn’t have anyone left to negotiate a settlement with, per Reuters.
That’s a truly chilling statement, and honestly, you can’t ignore the severity of that language. This extreme warning came when a reporter asked Putin about reported remarks from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto suggesting that Europe was preparing for a war against Russia. While Putin claimed Russia doesn’t want a war with Europe, he made it clear what the consequences would be if one were initiated.
Russia isn’t seen as highly as it was before the war
It’s interesting how Putin frames the scale of potential conflict. He suggested that the almost four-year-long war in Ukraine isn’t a “full-blown war.” Instead, he characterized Russia’s actions there as “surgical.” He stressed that this “surgical” approach would absolutely not be repeated in a direct confrontation with European powers, implying a much larger, more destructive conflict would be unleashed.
Beyond the broad warning to Europe, Putin also issued a very specific, immediate threat against Ukraine. He threatened to sever Ukraine’s vital access to the sea. This threat is a direct response to recent drone attacks targeting tankers belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” operating in the Black Sea.
Putin Warns Europe: Russia Ready for War
— bigedko (@big_edko) December 3, 2025
Steve Witkoff has been at the Kremlin last night and has conducted negotiations with Vladimir Putin for about 5 hours.
Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia doesn’t want to and doesn’t plan to attack Europe, but if Europe wants to go to… pic.twitter.com/SooaOXrwfs
Putin also spent time pointing fingers at Europe for actively sabotaging diplomatic efforts. He accused European powers of hindering current U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to bring the conflict to a close. According to Putin, European states are deliberately putting forward proposals they know are “absolutely unacceptable” to Moscow. In his view, this is just political maneuvering so they can then turn around and accuse Russia of not wanting peace.
This accusation is classic geopolitical blame-shifting. Putin claimed these European states have essentially locked themselves out of the peace talks by cutting off contact with Russia. He stated bluntly, “They are on the side of war.”
It’s worth remembering that this confrontation between Russia and the West is the biggest since the Cold War. Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine back in February 2022. Even with support from European powers and the United States, the conflict is still raging. U.S. officials have stated that over 1.2 million Russian and Ukrainian men have been killed in the fighting, though neither country discloses its true losses.
