Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is prepared for to fight World War 3 against NATO and European aggression, though he insisted that Moscow wants peace.
The Russian president said his country supports any steps aimed at restoring relations with European countries, as he commented on his phone call with the leaders of Norway and Finland, which took place on Tuesday.
But in a chilling threat, he said that if tensions continue to escalate, there would be no winners. He added that Moscow did not want the Baltic Sea to face a situation similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Independent report: European countries responded with fury after the leaders of Norway and Finland broke convention to speak directly to Putin.
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Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere held “frank and substantive” talks with the Russian president in a bid to influence the Kremlin’s position as the conflict in Ukraine rages on.
Stoere said he and Stubb had “stressed the importance of de-escalation,” and that both had voiced strong support for Ukraine.
But the move attracted criticism from their Nordic counterparts including Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen as they urged Europe’s leaders to “stick together” on Ukraine.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said other European leaders also said they were not informed of the talks.
Earlier this week, defence secretary Wes Streeting has said that Britain must be ready for war in 1,000 days as the government tells Britons to stock up with tinned food and bottles of water.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Streeting warned that the UK’s adversaries could be ready to attack the country in 2030.
A jet-powered Russian drone hit two trains stopped at a station in central Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 10 others, officials said.
Moscow and Kyiv have observed the truce in and around the devastated southern Ukrainian city since Tuesday, despite remaining locked in war since Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour more than four years ago.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a “horrific attack” that struck passenger trains in Dnipro.
Previous efforts to secure ceasefires either never worked out or the truces quickly fell apart.
