Putin's hawkish remarks increase pressure before key talks with USA on Ukraine – media
Vladimir Putin accused European governments of sabotaging the peace process in a series of harsh statements made minutes before a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin, and said that "European demands are not acceptable to Russia," according to the British The Guardian statement.
"Europe is preventing the US administration from achieving peace on Ukraine," Putin said, without specifying which European demands on Ukraine he considered unacceptable.
Speaking at an investment forum, he insisted that he "does not seek war with Europe," but warned that "if Europe wants to fight war, we are ready now."
According to the newspaper, his comments appeared to be aimed at bridging the divide between Washington and European capitals, which have backed Kyiv in its bid to revise a 28-point peace plan drawn up during previous U.S.-Russia talks that have largely favored Moscow.
The Russian leader also threatened retaliation for attacks on Ukrainian ports and ships in recent days, including several vessels from Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea. He warned that Russia would "step up strikes on Ukrainian ports and on any ships entering them" in response to attacks on Russian tankers, which he called "piracy."
