Latest news with #Lavrov


The Print
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Lavrov says NATO spending increase won't significantly affect Russia's security
'As for the impact of this 5% goal on our security, I don't think it will be significant,' Lavrov told a press conference. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of gross domestic product over the next decade, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. MOSCOW (Reuters) -NATO's decision to increase defence spending will not significantly affect Russia's security, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. 'We know what goals we are pursuing, we don't hide them, we openly announce them, they are absolutely legal from the point of view of any interpretation of the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, and we know by what means we will always ensure these goals.' NATO adopted the higher spending target in response to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for European members to pull their weight, and also to European fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia, which is spending more than 40% of this year's budget on defence and security, denies any intention to attack a NATO state. The Kremlin accused the alliance this week of portraying Russia as a 'fiend of hell' in order to justify its 'rampant militarisation'. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov and Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Russia will no longer play 'one-sided' games with the West: Vladimir Putin
Russia will no longer engage in "one-sided" games with the West, President Vladimir Putin stated while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Minsk, RT reported. According to RT, Putin said that Western nations have repeatedly betrayed Russia by not honouring their promises regarding Nato expansion and resolving the Ukraine conflict. He emphasised that Nato is using alleged Russian "aggressiveness" to justify plans to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of member states' GDP and bolster military presence in Europe. "They [the West] are turning everything upside down," Putin said at a press conference on Friday. "No one is saying a word about how we've come up to the Russian special military operation," he continued, asserting that the Ukraine conflict's origins date back decades, when Moscow was "blatantly lied to" about Nato's intentions. "What followed was one expansion wave after another," he added. RT further quoted Putin as saying that Russia's repeated security concerns regarding Nato's activities were ignored by the West. "Isn't it aggressive behavior? That is precisely aggressive behaviour, which the West does not want to pay attention to," he said. The Russian President also accused Western nations of supporting separatist and terrorist movements as long as they targeted Russia. "Everything was good as long as it was against Russia. Haven't we seen this? They [the West] saw it as well. Yet, they only talk about our aggressiveness," he said, as per RT. Putin's remarks came just days after the Nato summit in The Hague, where the alliance's members committed to increasing defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035. Nato's recent decision to ramp up military spending will not significantly impact Russia's security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, according to a report by Russia Today. Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov dismissed the West's claim of a Russian threat as unfounded and reiterated Moscow's openness to peace talks if the core issues behind the Ukraine conflict are addressed. His remarks came after the Nato summit in The Hague, where member states pledged to increase defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, citing the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security." US President Donald Trump described the agreement as a "monumental win," having long urged European allies to contribute more to their defense. Responding to a question on whether Russia views the Nato buildup as a threat, Lavrov stated, "I don't think it will have any significant effect." He added, "We know what goals we are pursuing; we don't hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals." RT reported that Moscow has consistently denied any plans to attack Nato countries, calling such accusations "nonsense" used by Western officials to justify increased military budgets. Lavrov also said Russia remains willing to engage in dialogue if Nato addresses root concerns, including its expansion toward Russia's borders and continued military support for Ukraine's Nato ambitions. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


India.com
6 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Russia Will No Longer Play One-Sided Games With West: Russian President Putin
New Delhi: Russia will no longer engage in "one-sided" games with the West, President Vladimir Putin stated while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Minsk, RT reported. According to RT, Putin said that Western nations have repeatedly betrayed Russia by not honouring their promises regarding NATO expansion and resolving the Ukraine conflict. He emphasised that NATO is using alleged Russian "aggressiveness" to justify plans to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of member states' GDP and bolster military presence in Europe. "They [the West] are turning everything upside down," Putin said at a press conference on Friday. "No one is saying a word about how we've come up to the Russian special military operation," he continued, asserting that the Ukraine conflict's origins date back decades, when Moscow was "blatantly lied to" about NATO's intentions. "What followed was one expansion wave after another," he added. RT further quoted Putin as saying that Russia's repeated security concerns regarding NATO's activities were ignored by the West. "Isn't it aggressive behavior? That is precisely aggressive behaviour, which the West does not want to pay attention to," he said. The Russian President also accused Western nations of supporting separatist and terrorist movements as long as they targeted Russia. "Everything was good as long as it was against Russia. Haven't we seen this? They [the West] saw it as well. Yet, they only talk about our aggressiveness," he said, as per RT. Putin's remarks came just days after the NATO summit in The Hague, where the alliance's members committed to increasing defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035. NATO's recent decision to ramp up military spending will not significantly impact Russia's security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, according to a report by Russia Today. Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov dismissed the West's claim of a Russian threat as unfounded and reiterated Moscow's openness to peace talks if the core issues behind the Ukraine conflict are addressed. His remarks came after the NATO summit in The Hague, where member states pledged to increase defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, citing the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security." US President Donald Trump described the agreement as a "monumental win," having long urged European allies to contribute more to their defense. Responding to a question on whether Russia views the NATO buildup as a threat, Lavrov stated, "I don't think it will have any significant effect." He added, "We know what goals we are pursuing; we don't hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals." RT reported that Moscow has consistently denied any plans to attack NATO countries, calling such accusations "nonsense" used by Western officials to justify increased military budgets. Lavrov also said Russia remains willing to engage in dialogue if NATO addresses root concerns, including its expansion toward Russia's borders and continued military support for Ukraine's NATO ambitions.


Times of Oman
17 hours ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says NATO buildup won't have 'any significant effect' on Russia
Moscow: NATO's recent decision to ramp up military spending will not significantly impact Russia's security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, according to a report by Russia Today. Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov dismissed the West's claim of a Russian threat as unfounded and reiterated Moscow's openness to peace talks if the core issues behind the Ukraine conflict are addressed. His remarks came after the NATO summit in The Hague, where member states pledged to increase defense expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2035, citing the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security." US President Donald Trump described the agreement as a "monumental win," having long urged European allies to contribute more to their defense. Responding to a question on whether Russia views the NATO buildup as a threat, Lavrov stated, "I don't think it will have any significant effect." He added, "We know what goals we are pursuing; we don't hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals." RT reported that Moscow has consistently denied any plans to attack NATO countries, calling such accusations "nonsense" used by Western officials to justify increased military budgets. Lavrov also said Russia remains willing to engage in dialogue if NATO addresses root concerns, including its expansion toward Russia's borders and continued military support for Ukraine's NATO ambitions. According to RT, the European Commission earlier this month approved the allocation of approximately Euro 335 billion in pandemic recovery funds for military purposes. In May, it introduced a Euro 150 billion debt facility to support defense initiatives. Ukraine is also allowed access to these resources alongside EU member states. Moscow has condemned these developments as evidence of NATO's sustained hostility. RT noted that President Vladimir Putin has accused the alliance of fabricating threats to manipulate public sentiment and escalate an arms race. At the summit, when asked what NATO's warnings of a Russian threat were based on, Secretary General Mark Rutte reportedly failed to cite any specific intelligence assessments, instead pointing to broad concerns.


Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
NATO spending hike won't affect Russia's security
NATO's recent decision to significantly boost military spending won't have a meaningful impact on Russia's security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. At its summit in The Hague this week, the members of the US-led bloc committed to raising defense expenditures to 5% of GDP by 2035 to address the alleged 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.' US President Donald Trump, who has long urged European allies to take more responsibility for their security, hailed the agreement as a 'monumental win.' Moscow has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking any NATO member states, dismissing such claims as 'nonsense' and attributing them to Western officials' attempts to justify increased military spending. When asked at a press conference on Thursday whether Russia sees the NATO buildup as a threat, Lavrov responded: 'I don't think it will have any significant effect.' 'We know what goals we are pursuing; we don't hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals,' he said. Russia has maintained that it remains open to peace talks if the root causes of the Ukraine conflict are addressed – including NATO expansion toward its borders and Western support for Kiev's membership. Earlier this month, the European Commission authorized the use of approximately €335 billion in pandemic recovery funds for military purposes. In May, it introduced a €150 billion debt facility to support so-called defense efforts. Ukraine has been granted access to these funds alongside EU member states. Moscow has criticized the steps as indicative of the bloc's continued hostility. President Vladimir Putin has accused NATO of fabricating threats to extract money from its citizens and fueling an arms race. When asked at the summit what NATO's warnings of a Russian threat were based on, Secretary General Mark Rutte did not provide any specific intelligence assessments, instead citing only general concerns.