Putin: Russia Ready for Conflict with Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the statement by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who had earlier warned about the risk of an armed conflict between Europe and Russia by 2030. According to the Russian leader, Moscow does not seek war but is prepared for any scenario.

In an interview, Szijjártó stated that European NATO structures plan to bring their armed forces to full combat readiness by 2029, and by 2030 there is a threat of direct military confrontation. His remarks sparked widespread discussion, as they referred to a potential escalation on the continent.

Responding to this, Putin emphasized that Russia does not consider European countries as adversaries and has no intention of starting a conflict.

“We are not going to fight Europe, I have said this a hundred times. But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we are ready right now. There can be no doubt about this,” he said.

The President also noted that in the event of a real war with European countries, the consequences would be incomparable to the situation in Ukraine.

“If Europe suddenly starts a war with us, I think it could escalate very quickly… This is not Ukraine. With Ukraine, we are acting in a surgical, precise manner. This is not a war in the full, modern sense of the word. If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and begins it, a situation could arise very quickly where there would be no one left to negotiate with,” Putin said.

The Russian leader stressed that the risk of a large-scale conflict will depend entirely on the decisions and intentions of European countries.