Does Russia want war? ‘Of course, not,’ says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia does not want a war in Europe and that is why it put forward proposals on security guarantees.

"Do we want this or not? Of course, not. That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations," Putin told a press conference on Tuesday when asked if there could be a war in Europe following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow.

Putin also said that he was ready to "work further together" with the West on security issues to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine. "We are ready to go down the negotiations track," Putin told the press conference.

However, he added that Russia "cannot turn a blind eye" to how Washington and NATO "freely interpret" the principle of the indivisibility of security - that no country should strengthen its security at the expense of others.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin confirmed a pullback of some forces from Ukraine's borders but said the move was planned and stressed Russia would continue to move troops across the country as it saw fit.

READ MORE: NATO sees ‘no sign of de-escalation’ as Russia pulls back some troops

Europe's energy security

Scholz's meeting with Putin comes a day after he travelled to Kiev to shore up support for Ukraine during talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Western countries for weeks have been sounding the alarm over a build-up of Russian troops around Ukraine and a potential invasion, saying any military action would be met with sweeping economic penalties.

Russia has denied having invasion plans, demanding that the West keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out of the alliance, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders, and roll back forces from Eastern Europe.

The US and its allies have roundly rejected the demands, but offered Russia to engage in talks on ways to bolster security in Europe.

Western power even warned Moscow they could impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 - a pipeline set to double supplies of Russian gas to Europe - if Russia attacks Ukraine.

Putin reiterated on Tuesday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is still awaiting regulatory approval, is a "purely commercial" project which will strengthen Europe's energy security.

The $11-billion pipeline, which has faced stiff opposition from the United States and some European states, was built last September across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, but has been idle pending German and EU regulatory clearance.

"This is one of Europe's largest infrastructure projects, aimed at significantly strengthening energy security on the continent," Putin said.

"I have said more than once that this project is purely commercial, and that there are no politics, nor any political tinge, here."

READ MORE: Can Germany and France ease tensions in the Ukrainian crisis?