Putin: Deploying European troops to Ukraine would mean 'war against Russia'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that stationing European troops in Ukraine would amount to war against Russia, while denying that Moscow poses any threat to Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that plans by European countries to send troops into Ukrainian territory would effectively mean engaging in war against Russia. He said European leaders are currently discussing such a deployment, and that this would be regarded as a direct move against Moscow.
At the same time, Putin rejected claims that Russia intends or plans to threaten any European country. He argued that Russia has no reason to enter into conflict with Europe and that such an idea is not seriously considered on the Russian side at all.
The Russian leader claimed that European leaders are keeping their populations fearful of an alleged Russian threat, insisting that such threats do not exist and never have.
Background
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly warned that the presence of Western military forces on Ukrainian territory would be treated as a red line that must not be crossed. European leaders have been discussing a possible troop deployment to Ukraine for several years, but no such step has been taken so far.
Russia justifies its military actions against Ukraine by citing what it describes as threats posed by NATO's expansion toward its borders, while Ukraine has expressed its intention to join the alliance.
