Russian FM says Moscow does not seek war with Europe

Russia has no intention of waging war against Europe, but will respond if European countries deploy military contingents to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a government session in the Federation Council. 

Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had made clear that Russia did not plan to go to war with European states. He added that Moscow would nonetheless respond to any actions it viewed as hostile, including the stationing of European military contingents in Ukraine or the seizure of Russian assets, and noted that preparations for such a response were already in place, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

He also stated that Moscow viewed US President Donald Trump’s efforts to pursue dialogue on resolving the conflict in Ukraine positively. Lavrov explained that discussions on US proposals continued during the recent visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and said both sides had agreed to maintain the diplomatic engagement.

The foreign minister argued that certain European governments were "deliberately impeding progress" toward a peaceful settlement, claiming that these countries were "holding back" the peace process surrounding the war in Ukraine.

By Sabina Mammadli