Putin blames Western globalists for AfD election win in Germany and warns against troops in Ukraine

Remarks in New Delhi

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed European political developments during the opening day of his official visit to India on 11 September 2026. Speaking to reporters during a press pool encounter ahead of the weekend BRICS summit in New Delhi, Putin answered questions regarding the recent state parliamentary election in Saxony-Anhalt. In that regional vote on 6 September 2026, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved a first-place finish. While Putin initially stated that he would offer no comment on the ballot and labeled it an internal German matter, he subsequently delivered an extensive assessment of European politics. He argued that the election outcome was not an isolated incident but part of a wider continental trend. Footage of the interaction was published on the Telegram messaging platform by Russian state television correspondent Pavel Zarubin.

Critique of Western governance

Putin asserted that political outcomes in Germany stem directly from widespread public insecurity fostered by European leadership. He claimed that European administrations have manufactured an artificial confrontation with Moscow, unsettling domestic voters and steering them toward anti-establishment political parties. In his remarks, Putin alleged that Western leaders provoked the armed conflict in Ukraine by applying sustained diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia while attempting to draw Ukraine into the NATO military alliance. He contended that ordinary European citizens grasp the consequences of these policies and react at the ballot box.

I think that everything happening in Europe right now is basically the result of system errors by the so-called West, the Western globalists in politics, security, and economics.

Warning against military deployment

Turning to security developments, Putin issued a sharp warning against European discussions concerning the potential stationing of military personnel in Ukraine. He insisted that any foreign military deployment to Ukrainian soil would escalate the situation into a direct war between European states and the Russian Federation. Russia initiated its full-scale military assault against Ukraine in February 2022, and the conflict has continued for more than four and a half years. Earlier in 2026, a coalition comprising more than 35 countries established a framework to provide legally binding security guarantees to Ukraine following any eventual peace settlement, including plans for a multinational deterrence force to assist Ukrainian troops during peacetime.

Now they are talking about considering how they could bring troops into the territory of Ukraine. That means war with Russia.

Position on European security

Addressing broader European stability, Putin dismissed claims by Western leaders that Moscow harbors aggressive intentions toward European nations. He stated that Russia has no fundamental basis for conflict with Europe, arguing that all foundational territorial matters were resolved at the conclusion of the Second World War. Putin accused European political leaders of manipulating public opinion through an invented Russian threat to advance their own security agendas. He questioned the strategic objectives of Western governments, asking whether European leaders seek to revise the settlement of the Second World War while pushing their populations toward an armed confrontation with Russia.