MOSCOW (Realist English). President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that European governments had “excluded themselves” from the diplomatic process on Ukraine and were now trying to obstruct efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to negotiate a peace agreement. His comments came during a press briefing on 2 December.
Putin claimed that EU states had “sharply cut off contacts” with Moscow after adopting what he described as the goal of Russia’s “strategic defeat.” According to the Russian leader, European governments “live in illusions” and refuse to acknowledge the failure of their approach. “They removed themselves from the process,” he said.
He went further, accusing EU countries of seeking to hinder Washington’s latest diplomatic push. “They themselves abandoned peace talks — and now they are interfering with President Trump,” Putin said, arguing that Europe had shifted from disengagement to active obstruction.
Putin asserted that European proposals to “adjust” US peace initiatives were aimed not at resolving the conflict but at derailing the process. The EU, he said, was putting forward conditions “absolutely unacceptable for Russia,” in hopes of later blaming Moscow for any breakdown in negotiations.
Responding to comments by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who warned of the risk of a Europe–Russia war by 2030, Putin said Moscow had no intention of fighting the European Union but was ready for “any scenario.” “If Europe suddenly decides to fight us and starts it, we are ready right now,” he stated.
He added that any direct confrontation with EU states “would not resemble the conflict in Ukraine,” describing Russia’s operations there as “surgical.” A war with Europe, he warned, could escalate so rapidly that “there would be no one left to negotiate with.”
Putin’s remarks come amid intensified diplomatic contacts between Washington and Kyiv and renewed EU debate over long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
