‘Russia Is Ready for War’: Macron Says Trump Will Betray Ukraine — Is He Right? | Counterpoints

Vladimir Putin says Russia does not want to fight Europe, but that it is fully prepared for war if necessary.


His warning followed a lengthy yet publicly unsuccessful meeting with U.S. mediators, where five hours of negotiations brought no progress toward peace.


President Trump’s envoys — chief dealmaker Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner — failed to shift Putin from his maximalist demands. Moscow has since blamed Europe for the stalemate, issuing a pointed warning to the continent.


Putin cautioned that if Europe chooses confrontation, the conflict could escalate to a point where there is no one left for Russia to negotiate with. Europe, however, has not backed down. Instead, the EU reaffirmed its long-term support for Ukraine and pledged to cover most of Kyiv’s financial needs over the next two years, funded in part by frozen Russian assets.


So instead of a negotiated peace, is a wider European war becoming more likely?


Tonight on Counterpoints, we debate:
Whether Europe is prepared for — or provoking — a war with Russia
Whether Putin is stalling in hopes that Trump will lose patience
And whether aligning with Russia is, in the long term, simply better business for the United States


Guests:
Vygaudas Ušackas, former EU Ambassador to Russia and former Foreign Minister of Lithuania
Glenn Diesen, Political Scientist, University of South-Eastern Norway
Oleksiy Goncharenko, Ukrainian MP, European Solidarity Party


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