Russia Seeks Better European Ties, Conflict Produces No Winners: Putin

Moscow will back any moves to improve ties with Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, adding that a conflict between Russia and any country on the continent would leave “no winners.”Speaking after a summit with African leaders in Moscow, Putin told reporters that while his country was “ready” for a war with Europe, it has no wish to engage in such a conflict.“Many people are constantly talking about preparing for war by 2030. Is this right or wrong? First of all, we are ready, but we don’t want any war with Europe,” Putin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.He went on to say, “If anyone wants to, let them prepare,” but added that Europe has “not yet achieved their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” saying it is “unlikely” such a goal would be achieved by 2030.“And if it goes too far, there will be no winners at all. Let no one forget this,” Putin said.The Russian president addressed his recent phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, which marked an apparent change of tack from most other European leaders.Putin said Stubb and Store suggested the call, adding that he thought it was the right approach, despite criticism from other European nations for taking it.“I think it was right [that Stubb and Store called]. Ultimately, there are people in Europe who don’t want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, like some, but rather want to establish some kind of constructive dialogue,” he said, adding that Moscow supports “any steps … aimed at restoring full and comprehensive relations with European countries.”“Either with all of them together, in the form of the well-known EU (European Union) organization, or bilaterally. We’re all right, whatever they want,” Putin added.The call, which lasted 90 minutes, covered a range of issues, including prospective peace talks in Abu Dhabi, NATO and the EU’s policies toward Russia, and the ceasefire in Oleshky brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump.Additionally, the three countries’ leaders, who all share borders, also discussed the situation in the Baltic Sea, with Putin saying he wanted to avoid a scenario “similar to what happened in the Strait of Hormuz,” though he added that Moscow would respond to “any challenge” in the region.Stubb and Store, during the Oct. 27 call, stressed they were speaking solely as leaders of their respective nations, not representing “Europe as a whole.”“The discussion was frank and substantive. We are neighboring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Stubb said.“The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation,” Store said.Though Putin praised their decision to reach out to him, Store and Stubb’s neighbors in Sweden and Denmark both voiced concerns about whether the action had been the right one.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was “very skeptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative,” on Oct. 27, adding that it was not coordinated with Denmark or Sweden, and that she “cannot see any signs that Russia wants peace with Europe.”Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson similarly expressed caution about the move, saying his impression was “that everyone wants peace except Putin.”“I have pretty low expectations for this kind of talk,” Kristersson added.Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov addressed the prospect of European involvement in the peace talks slated to take place in Abu Dhabi between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv on Oct.28, saying, “There’s absolutely no talk of this right now; no one is considering anything,” in response to a question on the matter.