Vladimir Putin is blaming his European counterparts for sabotaging peace talks to end the war in Ukraine that he started almost four years ago — and even raised the possibility of expanding the conflict to take on the European powers.
Ahead of a meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin lambasted Europe for “putting forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia.”
“They themselves refused peace negotiations and are interfering with President Trump,” Putin added.
Putin also suggested that Russia would be prepared to fight Europe in a broader war if the conflict in Ukraine escalates. He made those comments after stating it is not Russia’s goal to start a war against Europe.
“We’re not going to war with Europe – I’ve said this a hundred times already – but if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts the war, we’re ready right now,” Putin told reporters in response to a question about NATO troop preparations and the possibility of wider war with Europe,” Putin asserted.
Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are speaking with Putin in Moscow to advance peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes after a leaked phone call between Witkoff and Putin’s top foreign policy adviser drew widespread outrage because Witkoff appeared to be giving advice on how to make inroads with President Trump.
Witkoff and Kushner were both key negotiators in the peace agreement the Trump administration brokered between Israel and Hamas in October to end the war in Gaza. Both men were participants in negotiations with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev that resulted in a proposed 28-point peace agreement featuring terms largely favorable to Russia.
European leaders and Ukraine quickly rejected the 28-point plan on the grounds that it conceded too much Ukrainian territory, which could be used as a staging area for further incursions once Russia rebuilds its military capacity. French President Emmanuel Macron reasserted last week that Ukraine will ultimately decide on any potential territorial concessions to end the war.
Witkoff has been involved with Ukraine peace talks since the beginning of the Trump administration. Last week, U.S. and Ukrainian officials met to revise the 28-point peace plan to make it more palatable for Ukraine.
“It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests. I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war. We will continue working. I look forward to receiving a full report from our team during a personal meeting,” Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky said Sunday in a social media post.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke optimistically about the talks between the U.S. and Ukraine while acknowledging the difficultly of the peace negotiations.
“So much work remains, but today was again a very productive and useful session where I think additional progress was made, and we continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic particularly given the fact that, as we’ve made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war, which is very important; it is about securing Ukraine’s future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it’s ever been,” Rubio said.
Trump previously claimed he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours, but almost a year into his term the war has no end in sight. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 with the goal of annexing all of its territory. Moscow has captured roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory in a grueling war of attrition with hundreds of thousands of casualties.