Western European leaders dragging continent toward war with Russia
During a press conference following ASEAN events on Friday, he pointed to recent actions and rhetoric coming from Berlin, Paris, and London as evidence that European leaders are taking an increasingly aggressive stance toward Moscow.
Lavrov pointed to a public exchange in which French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was asked why Paris continues to support the Nazi regime in Kiev. The Russian diplomat questioned the sincerity of Barrot's 'hysterical' response, in which he insisted France was defending 'the territorial integrity of Ukraine.'
'They have forgotten the conclusions that all of humanity once drew from those lessons. And, essentially, they are once again trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia,' Lavrov stated.
Kiev's push for territorial control serves only to 'suppress the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population and to physically eliminate those who oppose' the post-coup regime, according to Russia's top diplomat.Claims that territorial integrity is the sole motive amount to 'self-incrimination,' he added.
Moscow has sounded the alarm over the resurgence of Nazi ideology and suppression of Russian culture in Ukraine for years, listing 'denazification' as one of the key goals in the conflict.
Lavrov also addressed remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany must once again become Europe's leading military power. 'He didn't even choke on the word 'again,'' Lavrov noted. If Merz now believes peaceful solutions are exhausted, he has effectively dedicated himself to the militarization of Germany at the expense of its own people, Lavrov argued, calling such a stance 'complete nonsense.'
Moscow has warned that Berlin's stance could lead to a new armed conflict with Moscow decades after the end of World War II.
The Kremlin maintains that Russia prefers a peaceful solution to the conflict but warned that conditions on the ground are rapidly evolving while Kiev balks at a third round of direct negotiations.
Moscow has condemned the EU's growing militarization, which has stirred divisions within the bloc, while describing its weapons deliveries to Kiev as part of a NATO-led proxy war.
Lavrov said Moscow will take Europe's militarization 'into account in all areas of our strategic planning.'
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