Russia will not launch attack on Europe but will respond forcefully if struck: Lavrov
Russia has no intention of launching a military attack on Europe, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, warning, however, that Moscow would respond decisively to any military aggression.
In response to remarks by European officials making claims of a potential military conflict with Russia, the top Russian diplomat told NTV in an interview aired on Sunday that Moscow had no intention of waging war with the neighboring countries in Europe.
“We have no intention of attacking Europe,” Lavrov said, adding, “There is no reason to do so.”
Lavrov noted that the Russian Federation would only attack Europe if it were to be attacked first.
“If Europe acts on its threats to prepare for war against us and initiates an attack on the Russian Federation, it will face a full-fledged military response from our side, with all available military capabilities,” he clarified.
Russia has in the past blamed the EU for creating obstacles and even “sabotaging” the peace process, instead of paving the way to a permanent peace in Ukraine.
In an interview with TASS in late December, Lavrov pointed out that European officials were openly making preparations for war with Russia.
Lavrov pinned the blame on the Europeans for Brussels’ providing continuous support to Kiev in fighting against Russian troops.
He said, the “European war party” is betting its “political capital on inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” He added that “almost all European countries, with few exceptions, have been pumping the Kiev regime full of money and weapons.”
Lavrov said the EU leaders were making efforts to derail the US-brokered Ukraine peace initiative kicked off by US President Donald Trump.
Russia launched its “special military operation” in Donbass in February 2022 to liberate, demilitarize, and denazify the Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine.
EU officials have justified increased military spending by citing the need to defend NATO’s eastern flank against Russian expansion.
General Carsten Breuer, the top military commander in Germany, warned in December that his nation must be prepared for a potential war with Russia by 2029.
Russia dismisses such claims as warmongering rhetoric.
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