Russia's Lavrov says EU warnings about Russian invasion risk becoming self-fulfilling prophecy
Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that calls by European leaders to prepare for a possible armed confrontation with Russia could provoke a war, according to Russian media.
At a press conference following the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said that Moscow does not plan to go to war with European countries.
But he added that European countries are preparing for a possible conflict with Russia, including by increasing spending on weapons production.
"We are not going to fight Europe; this is madness and nonsense. But Europe is preparing for war with us," the Russian foreign minister said.
He also suggested that the accumulation of weapons by European countries could lead to one of their leaders deciding to use military force against Russia.
"This could turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, such a position, because they are now investing huge amounts of money in weapons production," Lavrov said.
The Russian minister also threatened that if Russia were attacked, Moscow would respond with military force. According to him, Vladimir Putin previously said that in such a case, "we would not hold back," and the war would allegedly be "completely different" and short.
Background
In recent weeks, Russian officials and state media have repeatedly made statements about a possible conflict with NATO countries.
On September 10, Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev threatened to destroy Lithuania if nuclear weapons were deployed on its territory.
On September 11, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that if a nuclear arsenal were deployed, Lithuania could come under the sights of Russian nuclear weapons.
And on September 21, it was reported that intelligence officials from three EU countries believed Russia could intensify provocations against NATO in the coming months.
Meanwhile, days ago, a Russian state news agency published a column titled Russia Faces Another Special Military Operation. It Will Be Very Short, which contained a threat of a nuclear strike on Lithuania.
Lithuania prepared a plan to evacuate its population to Poland if Russia invades.
On September 15, in Lithuania, NATO aircraft shot down a drone that had entered the country.
