Russian President Vladimir Putin warned European leaders on Friday that sending troops to Ukraine would amount to direct war with Russia. Speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Putin said discussions about deploying forces to Ukrainian territory crossed a major red line for Moscow.

"At the moment, they say they are considering how to send troops onto Ukrainian territory. That means a war against Russia," Putin told reporters, according to Russian news agencies. He added that European leaders were frightening their populations with an "imaginary threat" from Moscow, insisting Russia had no intention of threatening European countries and no grounds for conflict with them.

The comments came amid ongoing European discussions about security guarantees for Ukraine. A coalition of around 35 countries, including the UK and France, has explored options for potential troop deployments as part of post-ceasefire arrangements. No such deployment has occurred, and any presence would only follow a peace agreement.

Putin reiterated Russia's long-standing opposition to Western military forces on Ukrainian soil, a position Moscow has maintained since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The conflict has now entered its fifth year.

European officials have framed possible troop contributions as defensive measures to deter future Russian aggression rather than offensive actions. Putin rejected those characterizations, claiming all issues with Europe were settled after World War II and that later arrangements followed the Soviet Union's collapse with Russia's consent.

The warning follows similar statements from the Kremlin over the past several years aimed at discouraging deeper Western military involvement in support of Kyiv. No European troops have been sent to Ukraine to date.