Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned European countries against sending troops to Ukraine, saying any such deployment would amount to “war with Russia”, while asserting that Moscow does not pose a threat to Europe.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, Putin said Russia had no reason to enter into a conflict with European countries and was not seeking to threaten them.
“There is no such threat, and there has never been. We are not threatening European countries, nor are we going to threaten them. Why would we? No one seems to even consider that we have no grounds for any conflict with Europe,” Putin said.
He said the issues arising from the Second World War had been settled and that developments following the collapse of the Soviet Union had taken place with the consent of Russia, as its successor state.
“Everything that runs counter to those arrangements runs counter to our interests and does not comply with the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter,” he said.
Putin was responding to questions about discussions among European countries over the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Now they are talking about how they are thinking about bringing troops to the territory of Ukraine. This means war with Russia,” the Russian president said.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022, has entered its fifth year. Several European countries have continued to support Ukraine, while the US has sought to play a mediating role and held talks involving both sides.
Earlier this month, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following their visit to Moscow.
Putin is in India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Putin in New Delhi ahead of the formal opening of the summit.
The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral trade ties, including the implementation of the Programme for Economic Cooperation 2030, as well as cooperation in infrastructure, energy, technology, defence and culture.
The meeting was the second between Modi and Putin in less than two weeks, following their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on August 31.
