Putin says Russia is ready for war with Europe but does not want it

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready for war with Europe but does not want one. He was responding to talk that Europe intends to prepare for a conflict with Russia by 2030, Russian media report.

“Many in Europe talk only about wanting to prepare for war with Russia by 2030. Is that right? No. We are, above all, ready, but we do not want any war with Europe. And if anyone in Europe wants a war, let them prepare,” Putin was quoted as saying.

The Russian president said his country supports any steps towards restoring relations with European countries. He was commenting on his phone call with representatives of Norway and Finland, which took place on Tuesday. He added, however, that if tensions escalated too far, there would be no winners.

“If a war broke out between Russia and Europe, there would be no winners. Let no one in Europe forget that,” Putin said, according to the TASS agency.

According to him, the West failed to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, and that is unlikely to happen by 2030. Putin also assured that Russia remembers well the lessons of both world wars and is doing everything to prevent anything similar from happening again.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz