Russian President Vladimir Putin said that European countries sending military forces to Ukraine would amount to war with Russia. Putin made the assessment in New Delhi, the capital of India, while answering journalists’ questions during the 18th BRICS Summit.
Putin accuses the West over its Ukraine policy
Putin argued that the crisis in Ukraine was provoked by the West and that its main objective was to bring Kyiv into NATO. Blaming Western globalists for the tragic events in Ukraine, Putin said the West had placed the responsibility on Russia.
Putin claimed that the West had been seeking to increase pressure on Russia continuously. He alleged that attempts had been made to act against Russia in the Caucasus through terrorists and separatists, and that Ukraine was now being used as an instrument of pressure.
He linked the German election result to the West’s mistakes
Putin also commented on the success of the Alternative for Germany party in the state parliamentary elections in Saxony-Anhalt. He described the result as the outcome of systematic mistakes by the West, or, in his words, Western globalists, in the fields of politics, security and the economy.
Stating that everyone, including Russia, makes mistakes, Putin argued that Western globalists had viewed themselves as being at the top of the world after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
He rejected claims of a threat to Europe
Putin said that Europe had stopped buying natural gas from Russia and turned to other sources at higher costs. He alleged that European elites were frightening their citizens with rhetoric about the “Russian threat.”
Putin said that Russia had not threatened European countries and had no such intention. He stated that Moscow had no reason to enter into a conflict with Europe.
Putin also said that all issues had been resolved through the outcomes of the Second World War, while developments after the dissolution of the Soviet Union had taken place with Russia’s approval. He argued that steps contrary to these agreements conflicted with Russia’s interests and the United Nations Charter.
Russia has continued its military attack on Ukraine since February 24, 2022, while Moscow makes Kyiv’s renunciation of joining Western military formations a condition for ending the attacks. Kyiv regards this approach as interference in its internal affairs.
