Europeupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 20 May 2026Putin Says Russia Is Prepared for War With Europe After Russia-Africa Summit
“Russia appears to have escalated its shadow war in Europe this year.”
“But in a chilling threat, he said that if tensions were to escalate too far, there would be no winners.”
Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Putin said Russia is prepared for war with Europe but does not want one. He argued European efforts cannot deliver Russia's strategic defeat by 2030.
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Putin readies Europe
Vladimir Putin said Russia is prepared for a potential war with Europe while insisting Moscow does not want one, warning that “there would be no winners.”
“We do not want war with Europe, and they should prepare if they are the ones who want war with us.”
Putin told reporters, “We do not want war with Europe, and they should prepare if they are the ones who want war with us,” after a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit.
Putin also warned that if tensions escalated too far, “there will be no winners at all,” and he urged European countries “not to forget that.”
Putin said Russia does not want a Baltic Sea situation similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz, and he asked, “Does someone want the same situation in the Baltic as in the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz?”
Putin said Russia would respond to any challenge in the Baltic Sea, adding, “I don't know. We don't want that, but we will respond to any challenge.”
NATO preparation accelerates
Kristian Voiding called for accelerating the pace of building NATO defensive capabilities at the conclusion of a several-day visit to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Voiding said, “We all reached a common conviction that we must accelerate our preparations for what is known as the 'night battle,'” and he added that the alliance must “improve our capabilities daily.” Voiding conducted intensive reconnaissance on the Alliance’s eastern flank during the visit, and he carried out the reconnaissance accompanied by his Dutch counterpart, Jan Svelins, and senior commanders of the German and Dutch ground forces.
European plans set a timeline to repel a Russian attack by 2030, and Putin’s “ready” comments responded to those warnings. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Europe should be prepared for a possible major conflict with Russia as early as 2027.
Shadow war and escalation fears
Russian fighter planes veered inside Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace, testing reaction times. Suspected Russian drones were downed over Poland, Finland and the Baltic states, and Moscow has been accused of bringing trouble to the Black Sea. Latvia’s ambassador to Greece, Ieva Cesniece, said, “Masked and most likely armed individuals on the Belarus side of the border escorted and attempted to push groups of illegal migrants into Latvia.”
Cesniece warned that those individuals “expressed threats to Latvian soldiers and border guards,” and masked individuals then crossed into Latvian territory and carried out deliberate sabotage. Olena Tregub, cofounder and head of Ukraine’s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, argued that deterrence requires convincing an adversary that continuing operations will become too costly, and she said, “And I’m not sure Russia currently sees those costs as sufficiently high.”
