Putin says Russia not seeking war but ‘if Europe wants to fight, we are ready’ – Europe live

Putin's hawkish remarks dial up pressure before key talks with US on Ukraine — snap analysis

Pjotr Sauer

Russian affairs reporter

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday insisted he was not seeking a war with Europe, but warned that “if Europe wants to fight, we are ready right now.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists as he attends the VTB Investment Forum in Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/Reuters

In a series of hawkish remarks delivered to reporters moments before his scheduled meeting with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin, Putin accused European governments of sabotaging the peace process and declared that “European demands are not acceptable to Russia.”

“Europe is preventing the US administration from achieving peace on Ukraine,” he said.

Putin did not clarify which European demands on Ukraine he found unacceptable.

But his comments appeared aimed at driving a wedge between Washington and European capitals, which have backed Kyiv in proposing revisions to a 28-point peace plan developed in earlier US–Russia contacts that dramatically favoured Moscow.

The Russian leader also threatened retaliation against Ukraine’s ports and ships after Kyiv in recent days struck several vessels in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea.

Russia, he warned, would “step up strikes on Ukrainian ports and on any ships entering them” in response to attacks on Russian tankers, which he described as “piracy.”

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'Without just peace, hatred will not fade,' Zelenskyy warns, calling stressing need for just peace deal

Zelenskyy ends with another warning on this point:

“This has gone on far too long to simply close our eyes and turn the page on Russia. Without a just peace, hatred will not fade. It will continue to smoulder and provoke new violence.

History has seen this before, and this time, it must be different. We need real peace. Help us achieve it and never lose your faith in Ukraine.”

His words are met with a rupturous applause from the Irish parliament.

'Europe cannot run away from its values, it must stand up for them,' Zelenskyy says

In a strong passage about Russia, Zelenskyy says that people’s “memory is often short, and attention can be fleeting.”

“So please remind the world every time it is needed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a criminal and unprovoked act of aggression …

It happened for one reason only: because Russia wants to treat Ukraine at its property and Ukrainians as if they belong in its back yard like livestock.”

He urges Irish parliamentarians to keep putting pressure on Russia, and keep demanding accountability for Russia’s crimes during the war.

“We must protect the unity that has existed since 2022, a unity of different nations, united in the protection of life and justice. … There is no good future for Europe without this unity,” he says.

He also pointedly talks about Ukraine’s plan to join the EU, saying “Europe cannot run away from its values – it must stand up for them and Ukraine is doing exactly that today, on Europe’s behalf.”

But talking about the future, he also warns against “amnesia” among politicians, as he warns them to not fold back to “business as usual,” “appeasement of the killers,” or “turning a blind eye to what has happened.”

The aggressor must be held accountable for what was done.

'No one can break world alone, not even Russia,' Zelenskyy says as Ukraine 'closer to peace than ever before'

Zelenskyy begins his speech by thanking Ireland for its continuing support and for welcoming Ukrainian refugees “when they needed it most.”

“Our peoples, the Ukrainians and the Irish, are among the few in Europe who spent centuries, fighting for the right to remain themselves,” he says.

He says that the war with Russia is “the most devastating war for freedom” since the second world war.

He then turns to the on-going peace negotiations, repeating earlier lines that Ukraine is “fully engaged in negotiations,” and the key point that “Ukraine is closer to peace than ever before.”

“There is a real, real chance, but we must seize this chance,” he says.

He makes a moral point that “no one can break the world alone – not even Russia,” stressing the strength of support behind Ukraine.

'Our neutrality is commitment to peace, not indifference,' Irish parliament speaker says

Verona Murphy, the speaker of Dáil Éireann, welcomes Zelenskyy to the parliament, as she says “we gather in solidarity and admiration for you and your people.”

But she says:

“Our own history teaches us that dialogue, however difficult, can bring peace, the Good Friday agreement was born from decades of pain and division, yet it proved that even the deepest wounds can heal when people choose negotiation over violence.”

She says “that lesson gives us hope for Ukraine” as the country continues to face “an illegal attack” by Russia.

She says:

As a militarily neutral country, Ireland is not and never will be morally neutral in the face of atrocity. Our neutrality is a commitment to peace, not indifference.

She stresses that Ireland “will stand firm” behind Ukraine.

After a smaller private meeting, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has now arrived inside the Irish parliament’s chamber, receiving a very warm applause from the members of both chambers.

The main event with his speech is now getting under way.

Obviously, we will also be keeping an eye on the latest from Moscow and the expected US-Russia meeting on Ukraine.

Back to Dublin, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has now arrived at Leinster House, so we should hear his address to the Irish parliament fairly soon.

Putin's hawkish remarks dial up pressure before key talks with US on Ukraine — snap analysis

Russian affairs reporter

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday insisted he was not seeking a war with Europe, but warned that “if Europe wants to fight, we are ready right now.”

In a series of hawkish remarks delivered to reporters moments before his scheduled meeting with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin, Putin accused European governments of sabotaging the peace process and declared that “European demands are not acceptable to Russia.”

“Europe is preventing the US administration from achieving peace on Ukraine,” he said.

Putin did not clarify which European demands on Ukraine he found unacceptable.

But his comments appeared aimed at driving a wedge between Washington and European capitals, which have backed Kyiv in proposing revisions to a 28-point peace plan developed in earlier US–Russia contacts that dramatically favoured Moscow.

The Russian leader also threatened retaliation against Ukraine’s ports and ships after Kyiv in recent days struck several vessels in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea.

Russia, he warned, would “step up strikes on Ukrainian ports and on any ships entering them” in response to attacks on Russian tankers, which he described as “piracy.”

Putin attacks Europe for unacceptable demands, hindering peace talks

We are also getting some other strong lines from Russia’s Putin, with the Russian leader quoted as rejecting the European proposals as “not acceptable to Russia.”

He also accused European leaders for “hindering” US proposals and insisted they “do not have a peaceful agenda.” (sic!)

He added that Russia did not want a war with Europe, but “if Europe wants to fight war, we are ready now,” he is reported by Reuters as saying.

I will bring you more on these lines in a moment.

As always with Putin, there is always a bit (or a fair bit more that that) of posturing, but it’s a clear and direct warning towards Europe as the talks with the US are about to get under way.

The Russian advances near Pokrovsk — visuals

Russia's Putin says Pokrovsk holds 'special significance' for army goals

And right on cue, Russia’s Vladimir Putin is quoted by Reuters as saying that the city is “of a special significance, that’s a great base for fulfilling goals.”

He repeated the earlier claim that the city was “fully in Russian army’s control.”

Let’s take a look at the map to see what’s going on there.

The slow death of Pokrovsk — profile

Earlier today, I brought you a few lines on the importance of the key Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, which sees intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine and appears to be used by Russia to claim it is gaining the momentum on the battlefield (11:02, 11:27, 11:42).

Our Dan Sabbagh has this brilliant profile on the 18-month battle that has left “the strategically important Ukrainian town in ruins.”

For a time Pokrovsk was a haven, a wartime Ukrainian boom town because of its strategic position in the east, 30 miles (48km) from the front. But that was before the summer of 2024, when a rapid Russian advance engulfed the industrial centre in a shattering conflict, a duel only now reaching its endgame.

The 18-month battle for Pokrovsk epitomises the current state of the Ukraine war: an attritional struggle in which gradual Russian advances have been made at extraordinary human cost. Though it demonstrates Russia cannot easily capture urban areas, the fight has also drained Ukraine, and consequences are emerging elsewhere.

Such has been the level of destruction that Pokrovsk is no longer even strategically significant. Its population is decimated, its industry destroyed and supply routes are re-routed; instead it has become a bloody signpost as peace negotiations restart.

Photographs by Julia Kochetova.

Next up in Zelenskyy’s schedule is his address to the Irish parliament.

He addressed in virtually in 2022 as part of his diplomatic push to galvanise support for Kyiv in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion on the country, but this time he will be able to deliver his remarks in person.

I will keep an eye on this and bring you the key lines when it starts.