Lviv, Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the stakes in peace talks on Ukraine by declaring he was ready for war with Europe if its leaders launched a conflict, airing the dramatic claim before he met American negotiators in Moscow.
Putin appeared to harden his stance on a potential peace agreement by warning European leaders to back down in their demands on the terms of the deal.
“We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters in Moscow.
“They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war.”
The comments heightened the divide over a potential deal as Putin began his talks with two of the key aides to US President Donald Trump over the war, starting their discussions on Tuesday night in Moscow (about 5am on Wednesday, AEDT).
Putin also claimed progress against Ukraine in the ground war on the eastern front and threatened more attacks on the Ukrainian coast along the Black Sea in response to attacks on Russian ships.
Ukraine attacked two oil tankers carrying Russian crude late last week and has stepped up its attacks on the Novorossiysk export terminal on the Black Sea, in a sign of its capacity to inflict economic damage on Putin’s government.
Another tanker was attacked on Tuesday and was said to be carrying sunflower oil, but Ukraine denied it was responsible.
While Russia has captured Ukrainian territory along the Sea of Azov, such as Mariupol and nearby cities, it has not gained control of the western part of the country, including the key port of Odesa.
“The most radical solution is to cut Ukraine off from the sea, then piracy will be impossible in principle,” Putin said in remarks aired on television before the peace talks began in Moscow.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who declared after the talks that the US wanted an outcome that ensured the long-term security of Ukraine.
Witkoff and Kushner then flew to Moscow for their talks with the Russian leader.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was a chance for peace in the talks, but he said in a speech in Ireland that there should be no reward for Russia in the outcome.
Zelensky also expressed concern that Trump would lose interest in the negotiations over the war and leave Ukraine exposed to further war from Russia.
“Yes, I am afraid. If somebody from our allies is tired, I’m afraid,” he said when asked about this possibility.
“It’s the goal of Russia to withdraw the interest of America from this situation.”
Zelensky declared that Ukraine wanted peace, but he also held out against any outcome that gave Russia an incentive for waging war.
“One strong country can start a war, another strong country can stop the war, but to restore justice and defend what’s right we need a community, a world made up of many different nations,” he said.
“One can inspire everyone else, and that is why Ukraine is fighting for every voice in the world.”
In an address to the Irish parliament during an official visit on Tuesday, Zelensky described the war with Russia as a fight that other countries also needed to win to avoid future aggression.
“The aggressor must be held accountable for what was done. This has gone on far too long to simply close our eyes and turn the page on Russia,” he said.
With Reuters
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