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Putin Threatens Swift War on Europe While Russian Forces Stumble in Ukraine
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow is prepared to go to war with European nations if they initiate hostilities, marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric amid ongoing negotiations over a potential US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine.
According to Russian state news agency TASS on December 2, Putin stated, “We are not going to fight Europe, I’ve said this a hundred times. But if Europe suddenly wants to fight and starts it, we are ready right now.”
The statement came just hours before Putin’s scheduled meeting in Moscow with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump. The visit by the American delegation is part of continuing discussions over a peace proposal developed jointly by Witkoff and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Putin accused European nations of undermining what he described as Trump’s peace initiative, suggesting that several EU member states are creating obstacles to its implementation. “There are conditions Europe is putting forward that are unacceptable to Russia,” he said.
According to previous reporting by The Wall Street Journal and Politico, the peace plan drafted by Witkoff and Dmitriev in October 2025 originally included 28 points, later reduced to 20. Among the key Russian demands are that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region and permanently abandon its pursuit of NATO membership.
Despite Putin’s claim that Russia is conducting “surgical” operations in Ukraine and that it is “not a war in the modern sense of the word,” Moscow continues to demand the full handover of the Donetsk region—a territory it has failed to fully occupy for more than a decade.
Since launching its campaign in 2014 and escalating it into a full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has managed to seize only about 70% of Donetsk. Ukrainian forces maintain control of key cities such as Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and Pokrovsk.
Military analysts estimate that capturing the remaining territory would take several more years and result in hundreds of thousands of additional Russian casualties.
Yet, in his December 2 address, Putin claimed Russia could act “very quickly” if challenged by Europe—warning that such a scenario could escalate to a point where “there might be no one left to negotiate with.”
Putin also warned of potential military escalation in the Black Sea. The Kremlin leader threatened to expand Russian strikes on Ukrainian maritime infrastructure in retaliation for recent attacks on Russian oil tankers, which he referred to as acts of “piracy.”
In recent months Ukraine has intensified its naval drone campaign, targeting several Russian tankers, including the KAIRO and VIRAT. These vessels are believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, used to circumvent international sanctions and continue crude oil exports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking from Ireland on December 1, confirmed that the latest version of the peace plan contains 20 revised points. He also disclosed that he had discussed the upcoming meeting between Witkoff and Putin with both French and British leaders.
Previously, Ukraine’s military rejected Russian claims of capturing Kupiansk, Yampil, and Pokrovsk as disinformation, asserting that all three cities remain under Ukrainian control and accusing Moscow of inventing victories to mask heavy battlefield losses.
Earlier, Russian officials dismissed Trump’s 28-point peace plan, insisting that only a full military victory over Ukraine would be acceptable. Putin said he was “satisfied with the current dynamics” of the war and saw no need for immediate compromise.
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