NATO's foreign ministers during their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday dismissed Vladimir Putin’s threat of being ready for war.
Russia’s leader said Moscow was prepared for war, accusing Europe of sabotaging peace talks with Ukraine. “Russia does not intend to fight Europe, but if Europe starts, we are ready right now,” Putin said on Tuesday.
Most of the participating NATO ministers received questions about Putin’s remarks on Wednesday. “We saw him in uniform, like a soldier at the front, but not at the front. So, I'm not going to react to everything,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutt told reporters.
“This is Russia’s way of intimidating us, and we shouldn’t fall for it,” said Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper also said Putin “should end the bluster and the bloodshed” in Ukraine.
The alliance should respond to Putin’s threats by being prepared, according to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Budrys.
“We must be ready to respond with everything that we have. That’s how deterrence works,” he told LRT.
Putin’s statements followed talks between Washington and Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine, which did not bear results.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides did not come to any agreement on key issues, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “some progress” was made on security guarantees.
Several outlets have reported that the next stop for the US delegation will be a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I am ready to receive all the signals and ready for a meeting with President Trump,” the Ukrainian president shared on his X profile.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
