# Putin says Russia is ready for war with Europe but does not want it, and adds: "there will be no winners at all"

- URL: https://syn.by/en/politics/international-relations/putin-says-russia-is-ready-for/
- Published: 2026-10-30T12:30:16+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T12:30:16+00:00
- Section: International Relations
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/politika/mezhdunarodnye-otnosheniya/putin-zayavil-chto-rossiya-gotova-k.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/palityka/mizhnarodnyya-adnosiny/pucin-zajaviu-shto-rasieja-hatovaja-da.md

> According to the Russian president, the leaders of Finland and Norway called him on behalf of their countries, not the EU. He also said Russia will not make concessions on Donbas.

![](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/illustration-5757-1024x585.webp)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 29 October that Russia is ready for war with Europe but does not want it. The occasion was a question about European plans to prepare for a conflict by 2030. He said many in Europe talk about nothing but such preparations, and that this is wrong.

"First, we are ready, but we want no war with Europe, and they, if anyone wants it, let them prepare," Putin said. He also said that Europe has so far failed to achieve its goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia and is unlikely to achieve it by 2030. If things go too far, he said, there will be no winners at all, and "let no one forget that."

The "ready, but we don't want it" formula is not new for Putin. In December 2025 he said that Russia does not intend to fight European countries, but that if Europe starts a war, Russia is ready for it "right now."

At the same time, Putin said he considers it right that there are people in Europe who do not want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and who seek constructive dialogue. According to him, Russia supports any steps toward restoring full-format relations with European countries, either with all of them at once through the EU or individually. He said it makes "no difference" to him how they choose to do it.

Putin also commented on his conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway on 27 October. He said they called on their own initiative and on behalf of their countries, not as representatives of the EU. According to him, the conversation touched on compliance with international maritime law.

Putin said that if Russia's access to the Baltic Sea is closed off, the situation would be like the one in the Strait of Hormuz. He added that Russia will not make concessions on the full capture of Donbas. These are his words; the response of European countries and Kyiv is not given in the materials.

In June 2026, Putin said that the West had moved from indirect support to direct statements about preparing a military conflict with Russia. According to the Ukrainian outlet [nvip.com.ua](https://nvip.com.ua/2026/06/13/viyskovi-vytraty-rosiyi-dosyahly-rekordu-v-pershomu-kvartali-2026-roku), in the first quarter of 2026 Russia's military spending hit a record, exceeding 5.91 trillion rubles, about 83.2 billion dollars.