Putin says European troop deployment in Ukraine would be ‘war against Russia’

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday (September 11, 2026) that any deployment of European troops to Ukraine would amount to "a war against Russia" and said Moscow did not "pose a threat".

"At the moment, they say they are considering how to send troops onto Ukrainian territory. That means a war against Russia," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying, referring to European leaders.

"We are not threatening and have no intention of threatening European countries. Why would we? No one even realises that we have no reason to enter into conflict with Europe," he said.

He said European leaders "are frightening their populations with an imaginary threat coming from Russia".

Russia launched a large-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly said the deployment of Western troops on Ukrainian territory was a red line that must not be crossed.

Such a deployment has been discussed by European leaders for several years but has never materialised.

Russia justifies its assault on Ukraine citing what is says is a threat posed by NATO's expansion to its borders, the Western military alliance that Kyiv aspires to join.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.