Lavrov: Russia Has No Intention of Going to War With Europe
© Sputnik / Stanislav Krasilnikov
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However, Russia is ready if Europe launches a war, but it would be a “very short one,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a conference on Eurasian security.
Prospects for a realistic dialogue with Europe are not yet visible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"So far, there is no prospect of a realistic dialogue with Europe, moreover, the West is going against the objective historical trend towards multipolarity and is trying to extend its influence to the eastern part of Eurasia," Lavrov said.
The EU is seeking to build a security system in Europe against Russia and Belarus, Lavrov said.
"They wanted, absolutely certainly, and probably continue to want to turn the OSCE into an instrument of ideological servicing in their interests, in NATO's interests, as well as the interests of the European Union, which is rapidly evolving from an integrationist socio-economic association into an aggressive militarist bloc with an anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian orientation," Lavrov.
Calls to agree to a truce are aimed only at giving Ukraine a respite, Lavrov said.
"When we hear the wailing — in the case of the Ukrainian crisis, which Brussels has turned into a bogeyman in the fight against our country — they call for an immediate ceasefire and for agreeing to an energy, food, air, or sea truce — all this is not needed for peace. We have been convinced of this many times," he said.
"All these wailings are aimed exclusively at giving Kiev a respite to restore its combat potential at the expense of external sponsors of this regime," the minister stressed.
The IV International Conference on Eurasian Security is being held in Minsk on November 3-4. More than 600 participants from 50 countries are taking part, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the leadership of the Union State, the CIS, the CSTO, the OSCE, the SCO and other international organizations.
Other key statements:
Russia welcomes cooperation with countries willing to abandon confrontation, but will not pursue anyone for dialogue
The West is pursuing military expansion in the Arctic, where the EU has adopted a confrontational strategy
Europe wants to preserve the “Nazi regime” in Ukraine by freezing the conflict along the current front line and deploying so-called stabilization forces, while Russia insists on addressing the root causes of the Ukraine conflict rather than accepting another temporary ceasefire
Russia opposes any military presence in the Caspian Sea and expects the ratification of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea to help prevent it
Lavrov noted that the world is increasingly calling for a new international order, although many countries oppose such a shift.
