Are we really facing a war with Russia in Europe?

Four months of a grinding war in Ukraine and suddenly the British top brass are warning of having to fight the Russians at some point in the future. Putin is wnning winning winning. He has now got everyone scared for our future. I guess it makes good sense for the new head of the British Army to prepare the UK forces for a possible war but surely the whole effort so far has been to avoid at all costs any confrontation with the Russian army. So why on earth should we start thinking of fighting the Russians in the future? There cannot be a war in Europe a la World War Three, because it would end up nuclear. The Russians know that, we know that. What we need to prepare for in the future is to deter Russia from ever plotting to fight the West in Europe. That doesn't mean training British soldiers to conduct a land war but to buy the right sort of weapons to stop Putin or any future successor from daring to attack the West. Right now the focus should be on helping the Ukrainians give Russia the bloodiest nose they have ever suffered in modern history. And that means sending them the best weapons to do so.