Russia’s Vladimir Putin has threatened to wipe out NATO allies if provoked—a chilling assertion made mere moments before meeting with officials sent by President Donald Trump.
“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 Tuesday, according to CNN. “There can be no doubt about that.”
Putin, 73, then warned America’s allies in Europe that they would suffer swift defeat should such a conflict arise—ignoring that Russia, despite years of battle, is yet to conquer its much-smaller neighbor of Ukraine.
“If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and does start one, then a situation could very quickly arise where we will have no one to negotiate with,” he continued.
Those remarks came just before Putin sat down to discuss Ukraine with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The Russian leader claimed NATO countries are sabotaging peace by influencing what Trump puts forward in each peace proposal, which have all been insufficient for Moscow.
“They are on the side of war,” Putin said of Europeans.
Putin suggested relations are so strained between Moscow and the rest of Europe because capitals, from London to Bucharest, have cut off contact with the Kremlin.
This, of course, ignores the reason that Moscow has been ostracized by much of the West: because it invaded a sovereign nation, starting a years-long conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and cost Ukraine allies hundreds of billions in aid.
Trump, 79, promised to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on day one of his presidency, but quickly backtracked upon returning to office.
The president has pulled out all the stops to appease Putin, going so far as to roll out a red carpet and have a flyover for him during a summer summit in Alaska.
Despite the pageantry, nothing materially changed in Ukraine, as Russia refuses to leave the country without keeping a chunk of its land for themselves—a demand that Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky refuses to agree to.
Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner hope this week’s meeting proves different, though there is no official word yet on how the Moscow meeting went. A report last week alleged that Trump is seeking profit, not peace, from settling the conflict.
The president briefly addressed Tuesday’s meeting in Moscow at the start of his Cabinet meeting that afternoon, but offered no insight into how it was going.
“Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled. Not an easy situation, let me tell you, what a mess,” he said. “It’s a war that never would have happened if I were president, not even a chance.”
The post Putin Puts on Chilling Strongman Show for Trump With New European Threat appeared first on The Daily Beast.
