Lavrov accuses NATO, a “real war” against Russia in the UN

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, used his address on Saturday to the United Nations General Assembly (UGNA) to deliver one of the most stardy warnings in Moscow to the West, accusing NATO and the European Union of carrying out a “real war” against Russia.

Lavrov has opened with radical historical references to the Second World War, positioning Russia as heir to the role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazism and the defense of global sovereignty. He accused the United States of dismantling these post-war principles through interventions in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya, and warned that this was happening today in the Middle East.

While condemning the attack on October 7, 2023 of Hamas, Lavrov said that the Israel campaign in Gaza was of “collective punishment” of civilians, connecting the conflict to what he has described as decades of uncontrolled Western use.

Lavrov accused NATO of having ignored decades of security commitments. He insisted that Russia has “never had and did not” plan to attack NATO countries, calling Western warnings of a Russian offensive “provocations”.

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The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, issuing one of the most significant warnings in Moscow to the West. (Channel Telegram of the Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

He distinguished the affirmations of European leaders as “false representations” of the intentions of Moscow, echoing the denial of President Vladimir Putin according to which Russia plans to strike NATO or the territory of the EU. At the same time, Lavrov has issued a direct threat: “Any assault against my country will be greeted by a decisive response. There should be no doubt among those of NATO and the EU.”

The warning comes in the middle of increased tension along the eastern side of NATO. Estonia recently accused Russian jets of having violated its airspace, and NATO forces have shot drones over Poland. The United States responded by telling the United Nations Security Council which it “would defend NATO territory every centimeter”. In this context, Lavrov’s speech highlighted Moscow’s efforts to supervise any confrontation with NATO as an existential threat to Russia itself.

Timing is also believing with a change in American rhetoric. President Donald Trump, who met the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week, hardened his tone on war – telling journalists that Ukraine can And should Recover all its territory.

President Trump also adopted a firmer rhetoric on war. (SOMODEVILLA / GETTY Images)

This marks a departure from previous signals to open negotiations, more than a month after us and Russian officials have had rare talks in Alaska. Lavrov’s UN address seemed calibrated to counter Trump’s new line, reminding Washington that Moscow considers war not as a distant conflict but as a direct confrontation involving the United States.

The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, in his own speech to the General Assembly, warned that not to stop Russia would now unleash “the most destructive arms race of all time”.

Lavrov strengthened his message at a press conference after the speech, answering a question about Western calls to shoot down Russian planes that could violate European airspace. He rejected Trump’s previous remark that Russia was a “paper tiger”, noting that the president had already retreated.

He then expressed a striking warning: “If there are attempts to chase a flying object … on our territory, in our airspace, then I think that people will regret it a lot, by undertaking such a blatant violation of our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.”

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The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued his own warning to the General Assembly: the fact of not stopping Russia will now lead to “the most destructive arms race of all time”. (Spencer Platt / Getty images)

Lavrov also targeted American sanctions on Iran, exploding Western efforts to restore or tighten restrictions as “illegal” and evidence of what he described as Washington’s strategy of “blackmail and pressure”.

He said the West had sabotaged diplomatic options to relaunch the 2015 nuclear agreement and rejected what he called manipulations from the United Nations Security Council to isolate Tehran.

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Beyond Europe, Lavrov depicts Russia as aligned with an increasing “world majority” against Western domination, pointing to BRICS, the Shanghai cooperation organization and African and Latin American calls to greater representation to the United Nations Security Council.

He accused Washington of using sanctions and military blocks to preserve hegemony, while affirming that Russia defended sovereignty for the nations of the world.