At the BRICS summit, Russian President Putin warned NATO countries in Europe: if you send troops into Ukraine, it will amount to directly declaring war on Russia.
Putin stated that the West has been making mistakes for years—after the end of the Cold War, continuously expanding NATO eastward, and now attempting to pull Ukraine into a U.S.-led military alliance. These are the root causes of the conflict. Today, Western governments are fabricating the "Russian threat" to scare their populations, but in reality, Russia has no intention of attacking Europe.
Putin believes that European citizens are beginning to see through the truth: the so-called "globalist elites" consider themselves gods, convinced they can never be wrong, yet their errors have snowballed out of control. The AfD's major victory in regional elections reflects growing public dissatisfaction with current leadership across Europe.
Putin emphasized repeatedly that Russia will not accept any NATO presence in Ukraine under the guise of "peacekeeping" or "security guarantees," arguing that Kyiv and Europe merely want to use a ceasefire to buy time for Ukraine’s military to rearm.
Though Putin’s remarks sound tough, they carry several layers of calculation.
First, drawing a red line. From the very beginning of the conflict, Russia has firmly opposed any NATO troop deployment in Ukraine. Now, by explicitly defining such action as "declaration of war," Putin pre-emptively seals the consequences, forcing European nations to think twice before discussing troop deployments.
Second, directing blame toward the "globalist elites" is a strategic move in the information war. Knowing that Europeans are frustrated with rising energy prices, economic stagnation, and migration issues, Putin channels this discontent into a narrative that their leaders are wrong—while simultaneously sending signals to right-wing movements like Germany’s AfD.
Third, sowing division within Europe. Eastern European countries fear Russia, while Western European nations dread escalation of war. Putin aims to exploit these divisions to weaken Europe’s support for Ukraine.
Putin’s warning serves both as military deterrence and psychological warfare. He wants Europe to understand: continuing to escalate the situation may lead to costs they cannot afford. But whether Europe will heed this remains to be seen—depending on whether they fear Russia more, or fear the consequences of fighting Russia even more.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876093592356940/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.