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Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict

Russian president cited AfD's German election win as a result of "system errors" by the West.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
"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," Putin said.

What this story says

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin said events in Europe, such as the AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt, are the result of "system errors" by Western globalists.
  • Putin also stated that the West's pressure and push for Ukraine's NATO membership caused the conflict in Ukraine.
  • The Russian president made these comments during a pool report on the first day of his visit to India.
  • Putin is scheduled to attend a BRICS summit in India with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Who covered it

Left 22%(6)Centre 34%(9)Right 44%(12)

Percentages are shares of the 27 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 42 of the 69 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

56/100

Craft

77/100

Hype

15/100

69 sources · methodology

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on 11 September 2026 that events in Europe, including the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's success in a state election, were caused by "system errors" made by Western globalists. Speaking to reporters in India, Putin also attributed the conflict in Ukraine to the West's actions, including pressure on Moscow and efforts to draw Ukraine into NATO. He suggested that people in Europe understand these dynamics, which he believes are reflected in recent election results and European trends. Putin is in India to attend a BRICS summit alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Disagreement on Putin's comments about the Ukraine conflict

The Times of India and The Economic Times reported that Putin said the West's actions, including pushing Ukraine toward NATO after a Russia-friendly president fled Ukraine in 2014, were the main reason for the "tragic events in Ukraine." Other reports did not include this specific detail about the 2014 events.

What the coverage left out

None of the centre or right-rated reports mentioned that the AfD must now attract defectors from other parties or reach an agreement with the small far-left BSW party to form a government in Saxony-Anhalt.

Coverage settled. We checked this 9 times and stopped on 17 Sept 2026, 14:45. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

6 rated outlets

  • The left-rated outlets reported that Vladimir Putin linked the success of the AfD party in German elections to errors made by Western globalists. They stated that Putin accused European governments of provoking conflict with Russia and upsetting their citizens.
  • These reports mentioned Putin's comments on Friday, attributing them to Reuters. The digests noted the AfD's first-place finish in the elections and their platform on limiting migration and restoring relations.

Centre

9 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports led with Putin's statement that events in Europe, including the AfD's win in Germany, were caused by Western globalists. These reports carried Putin's assertion that the West's pressure and push for Ukraine's NATO membership were the cause of the Ukraine conflict. The reports noted Putin's comments were made during a pool report on the first day of his visit to India, where he is attending a BRICS summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Right

12 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports highlighted Putin's claim that events in Europe, such as the AfD's victory in Germany, resulted from "systemic mistakes" or "system errors" by Western globalists in politics, security, and economics. Several of these reports included Putin's specific assertion that the West's actions, including the eastward expansion of NATO and efforts to draw Ukraine into the alliance after 2014, were the primary cause of the conflict in Ukraine. The reports also mentioned Putin's attendance at the BRICS summit in India.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict?
Of the 27 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 22% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 44% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 69. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 27 rated outlets on this story, 22% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 44% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict biased?
Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict is one event reported by 69 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Putin blames Western globalists for European events and Ukraine conflict?
69 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did Vladimir Putin say about events in Europe?
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that events in Europe, including the AfD's win in a German state election, were the result of "system errors" committed by Western globalists. He suggested that people in Europe understand these dynamics and that these results reflect broader European trends.
How did Putin explain the conflict in Ukraine?
Putin attributed the conflict in Ukraine to the West's actions, including constant pressure on Moscow and efforts to "drag" Ukraine into the NATO alliance. He specifically mentioned that after a Russia-friendly president fled Ukraine in 2014, the West aimed to bring Ukraine into NATO, which he called the main reason for the current events.
Where and when did Putin make these comments?
Putin made these comments to reporters in a pool report on the first day of his visit to India, on Friday, 11 September 2026. He was in India to attend a BRICS summit.

Read it at the source

69 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

6

Centre

9
Show 1 more

Right

12
Show 4 more

Not rated

42
Show 34 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Putin on Europe and Ukraine | MediaBias News