Russian leader issues stark warning to Europe from BRICS summit as strikes continue in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday, September 11, 2026, that any deployment of European troops to Ukraine would amount to "a war with Russia," speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India. The comments, reported September 12 by CBS News, UPI and other outlets, coincided with Russian strikes in Ukraine that killed eight civilians and wounded dozens, according to local officials cited by CBS News.
Putin's Warning and Direct Quotes
According to multiple outlets, including Le Monde and UPI, Putin told reporters: "Now, they say they are thinking of how to deploy troops to the territory of Ukraine. This means war with Russia." CBS News paraphrased his remarks as saying that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it would mean "a war with Russia." Putin did not name specific countries considering such deployments, but referenced unspecified European leaders "currently talking" about the option, according to Nasha Niva and Tribune India's ANI report.
Putin simultaneously denied that Russia poses any threat to Europe, stating, "There is no such threat, and there has never been. We are not threatening European countries, nor are we going to threaten them," according to Nasha Niva and Tribune India. He accused unnamed European leaders of "frightening their populations with an imaginary threat coming from Russia," and, per Yeni Åžafak, accused Western powers of attempting to "finish off" Russia through successive conflicts.
Putin Pledges Support to Iran, Rallies SCO Leaders Against US Sanctions
Context of European Troop Debate
The remarks arrive amid European discussions about a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine, as referenced in Fortune's news summary. No European leader was quoted directly responding to Putin's latest warning in the available reporting. RBC-Ukraine reported that Putin said Europe is "pushing its countries toward war with Russia" by considering such deployments. The warning echoes Putin's February 2024 statement that sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine risked "a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization," according to CBS News, showing a consistent pattern of framing foreign troop deployments as red lines.
Ukrainska Pravda and RBC-Ukraine characterized the statement as part of a Russian pressure campaign aimed at discouraging deeper European military involvement, as the war, ongoing since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues with no declared European combat troops yet on Ukrainian soil.
