Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia stands prepared for a war with Europe, cautioning that any such conflict "will have no winners".
The Russian President delivered the stark remarks during a press conference today, in which he also disclosed that he had engaged in talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Characterising the outreach as a positive development, Putin stated that the dialogue had been initiated by the Nordic heads of government, though he stopped short of revealing the specific details of what was discussed, reports The Mirror.
Putin on Europe's ambitions
Addressing Western objectives, the Russian leader asserted that Europe had been unsuccessful in its ambition to defeat Russia, adding that achieving such an outcome by 2030 remains improbable.
He said: "Many people are constantly talking about preparing for war by 2030. Is this right or wrong? First of all, we are ready, but we don't want any war with Europe."
"And if anyone wants to, let them prepare, but they have not yet achieved their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia; it is unlikely that this will be possible by 2030." Chillingly, Putin added: "If it comes to a war between Russia and Europe, there will be no winners."
NATO threat timeline
Western intelligence has previously stated that by 2030, Russia could possess the necessary resources to launch an attack on NATO.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also recently said that Britain must strengthen its defence by 2030 and emphasised the possibility of Russia acquiring the capability to start an attack by 2030. This would leave the UK and NATO allies with just about 1,000 days to prepare for the potential confrontation.
Mr Streeting said the UK must "be ready with our allies to fight and win" in an opinion piece for The Telegraph. He wrote: "My defining priority... is to make sure that this country is ready to fight and win a war."
"To prevent the worst, we have to prepare for it. In the first instance, that means expanding our capabilities so our adversaries think twice about attacking us. Should that fail, we must ensure that Britain is ready for war."
Dialogue and historical lessons
Putin said today that he supports any steps taken towards restoring relations with Europe, and insisted he is willing to engage in dialogue.
Also during the news conference, which took place after a plenary session of the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Putin claimed Russia remembers the lessons of the First and Second World War - and said Moscow is doing everything possible to avoid similar scenarios repeating themselves.
