Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is prepared for war with Europe, saying there would be “no winners” if tensions developed into a conflict with Nato.
Speaking at a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit on Thursday, the Russian president said he did not want a confrontation with European countries but was ready to respond if the situation continued to escalate.
“First of all, we are ready, but we don’t want any war with Europe,” Mr Putin said.
His remarks came amid growing concern among European military leaders about alleged Russian hybrid operations, including drone activity, cyber attacks and sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.
Western intelligence officials have warned that Moscow has an appetite to expand its sabotage campaign in Europe, raising fears that miscalculation could eventually trigger a direct confrontation with Nato.
One official said: “The appetite of Russia to conduct… sub-threshold or hybrid operations against Nato countries, whether this is sabotage or cyber, is very clear. President Putin absolutely wants to avoid a direct confrontation with Nato. However, in all of this, there is the risk of miscalculation.”
Germany’s military earlier this month said it faced a “significant” risk of Russian sabotage after raising its threat assessment to the second-highest level for the first time.
In Britain, Russia is believed to have been behind the firebombing of two homes and a car linked to former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. Moscow has also been blamed for drone incursions over British military sites in 2024, with intelligence analysts alleging that aircraft were launched from sanctioned Russian oil tankers to spy on nuclear weapons sites and American airbases.
Russian drones have also breached the airspace of European countries. Italian fighter jets were scrambled last month to shoot down one of the Kremlin’s aircraft over Lithuania.
Western intelligence sources have dismissed fears that Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons against Europe, despite threats from Kremlin mouthpieces in recent months. They have, however, warned that a campaign of sabotage could create the conditions for an accidental escalation with Nato.
Mr Putin said he supported steps aimed at restoring relations with European countries. He also said Moscow did not want the Baltic Sea to face a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz, which he said had been held to ransom by Iran following joint US-Israeli strikes.
His comments came days after the leaders of Norway and Finland held a 90-minute “frank and substantive” telephone conversation with him, the first call between pro-Ukrainian European leaders and the Russian president in more than a year.
The call drew criticism from other Nordic leaders. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said it “was not coordinated with the rest of us” and warned that Europe should be careful about giving Mr Putin “an opportunity that he did not have until a few hours ago”.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said he had received no advance notice and held low expectations for the discussion. He said Sweden’s position remained that peace must be reached on Ukraine’s terms.
Finland’s president Alexander Stubb and Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store defended the contact, saying in a joint statement that “ending the war requires direct discussions”. Mr Store said the conversation had stressed the importance of de-escalation, while acknowledging that there were “big differences in views”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke with the two Nordic leaders afterwards, said they had made clear to Mr Putin that “real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure”.
