Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that deploying troops from European NATO countries to Ukraine would constitute a direct war with Russia, asserting that political shifts across the European Union reflect growing public discontent with Western “globalist elites” policies.
Speaking to reporters at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Putin claimed Europe’s current political and economic crises stem from “systemic mistakes” made by its leaders in foreign policy, security, and economics following the end of the Cold War. He stated that globalist elites have convinced themselves they are “at the top of Olympus” and “effectively incapable of being wrong,” but their errors have accumulated “like a snowball.”
In security matters, Putin highlighted NATO’s eastward expansion and Western efforts to integrate Ukraine into the U.S.-led military alliance as root causes of the conflict. He argued that Western governments are now instilling an imaginary “Russian threat” in their populations while pushing Europe toward direct confrontation.
“We are not threatening and are not going to threaten European countries,” Putin said, adding, “Why would we?”
He cautioned that plans by several European NATO members to deploy forces into Ukrainian territory could cross a critical line: “They are now talking about how they are considering sending troops into Ukrainian territory. This means war with Russia.”
Moscow has refused to accept troops from NATO nations stationed in Ukraine under the pretense of security guarantees or peacekeeping missions, according to Russian officials. They claim that Kyiv and its European allies seek only a temporary pause in fighting to rearm and regroup Ukrainian forces before resuming hostilities.
Putin asserted that European voters are increasingly recognizing these policies’ consequences: “I understand that the citizens of European countries understand what is happening,” he said, noting this shift manifests in political trends such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election.
Putin declined to address German domestic politics directly but stated broader European developments reflect mounting dissatisfaction with the continent’s current leadership direction.
