Video: If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a very short war, Lavrov warns
Abdullateef Fowewe
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cautioned that any European attack on Russia would trigger a “completely different” and “very short” war, even as he insisted Moscow has no intention of striking European countries.
Video: If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a very short war, Lavrov warns
Speaking on Wednesday at the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg, Lavrov framed his remarks as a response to growing European rhetoric about preparing for a potential conflict with Russia by 2030.
He repeated a line previously attributed to President Vladimir Putin, telling the audience: “Russia has repeatedly said that we are not going to attack Western countries and have no interest in doing so.”
“But if Europe, which speaks regularly about preparing for war against Russia, attacks the Russian Federation, then this will be a completely different war, and it will be very short,” Lavrov added.
He concluded with a pointed appeal, “I hope this warning will be heard in European capitals.”
Lavrov’s comments came amid repeated warnings from European leaders about the need to harden defences and plan for a possible large-scale confrontation with Russia later this decade.
He also tied the warning to the Ukraine conflict, saying earlier that the deployment of Western military forces in Ukraine would amount to a “declaration of war” against Russia.
