Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a stark warning to Europe, declaring his country is prepared for war, following the rejection of a new peace plan for Ukraine presented by envoys for former US President Donald Trump.
Kremlin Talks End Without Breakthrough
The high-stakes diplomatic effort saw US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, engage in a five-hour discussion at the Kremlin on Tuesday 2 December 2025. This meeting came shortly after separate negotiations with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida.
However, the talks concluded without a resolution. Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Mr Putin, stated that while some American proposals were "more or less acceptable," a compromise had not been reached. He emphasised that "there's still a lot of work to be done" before any potential summit between the two leaders.
Mr Ushakov revealed that territorial issues, specifically Russia's demand for control of the entire Donbas region, were a major point of contention. "Territorial issues were specifically discussed, without which we see no resolution to the crisis," he warned.
Putin's Defiant Warning to Europe
Earlier on Tuesday, President Putin struck a confrontational tone, directly accusing European powers of being "on the side of war." He claimed they had altered peace proposals with demands Russia finds "absolutely unacceptable."
"We're not planning to go to war with Europe," Mr Putin stated following an investment forum. "But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now. There can be no doubt about that."
He further cautioned that should conflict erupt, a situation could swiftly develop where Russia has "no one to negotiate with."
Zelenskyy Awaits Signals from Moscow Talks
As the talks unfolded in Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Dublin meeting with Irish leaders. He stressed that the future of negotiations hinged on the outcome of the Kremlin discussions and expected swift reports from the American envoys.
"The future and the next steps depend on these signals," President Zelenskyy said at a news conference. He expressed readiness to meet with Donald Trump but insisted there must be "no games behind Ukraine's back." He sombrely noted, "Our people are dying every day."
The failure to secure a deal in Moscow raises significant concerns among European allies, who fear that appeasing Russian demands in Ukraine could embolden further aggression. This warning coincides with analysis suggesting the UK is "really unprepared" to fight a war, as revealed in a new Sky News podcast series.
