European countries have failed to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and are unlikely to achieve that objective by 2030, President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit.

Responding to European calls for military preparations ahead of a possible confrontation with Moscow by 2030, Putin said Russia was ready for such a scenario but had no intention of going to war with European countries.

He warned that further escalation could lead to a conflict in which there would be no winners.

The Russian president also questioned the prospects of European military preparations, arguing that countries which had already failed to achieve their strategic objectives against Russia would be unlikely to succeed within the next four years.

His remarks followed earlier criticism of European statements about a potential war with Moscow. The previous week, Putin had described such warnings as political schizophrenia.

Earlier in October, Putin also dismissed claims that Russia was planning to attack other countries, including predictions of a possible conflict in 2029, 2030 or even 2050.