Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russia is “ready” for war if Europe “wants to and starts” one, accusing European leaders of undermining US-led attempts to broker an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking in Moscow as US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived for high-stakes talks, Putin claimed European countries were blocking peace efforts, saying: “They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war.”
He alleged that European amendments to President Trump’s latest peace plan “aimed solely at one thing – to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia”.
Washington has been pushing a revised 28-point plan to end the war, after an initial draft, criticised by Kyiv and Europe for conceding too much to Moscow, was scaled back.
The US envoys met Putin at the Kremlin, with Kushner and Witkoff set to present the updated proposal before travelling to meet Ukrainian officials.
As negotiations continued, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “waiting for signals” from the US delegation, signalling he was prepared for urgent talks if required.
The Kremlin simultaneously announced battlefield gains, claiming the capture of the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk and Vovchansk in Kharkiv, moves that would put further pressure on Ukrainian supply lines.
Meanwhile in Paris, Zelenskyy sought to shore up European backing in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, amid concerns over US diplomacy and internal strains within Kyiv’s government.
President Trump has said there is a “good chance” of reaching a deal, though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the process remains “delicate” with “more work to be done” and confirmed further talks in Moscow.
As the diplomatic manoeuvring intensifies, the war, now nearing its fourth year, continues to cause mass casualties and destruction, with Russia launching fresh missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Source: The Advertiser.
