Lavrov says Europe uses myth of Russian threat to promote arms race

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized European countries for promoting the arms race by circulating the myth of a Russian threat.

Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow on Saturday, Lavrov said the Western countries were using the myth of an imaginary Russian threat to escalate the arms race and form a "European military alliance with a nuclear component."

He said, "[French President] Emmanuel Macron admitted in an interview the other day that Paris and Berlin have always seen Russia as the main threat."  

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"A line has been taken to restore the number and combat readiness of the armies of European countries, to transfer the military-industrial complexes of NATO countries to wartime mode and to start working, on the contours of the formation of a European military alliance with a nuclear component," he added.

The top diplomat pointed out that by taking into account the current position of Western politicians towards Moscow, it would be fair to say that Europe would not be the best partner for Russia for at least a generation.

The US-led Western countries have been providing huge military and financial support to Kiev since the start of Russia's special military operation in eastern Ukraine in early 2022.

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The presidents of Russia and China have agreed to deepen their ‘strategic partnership’, scolding the US for posing threats against their countries.

The Russians, for their part, have repeatedly warned against the continuous delivery of arms and munitions to Kiev, saying the flooding of the country with weapons would lead to further escalation of the war.

In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine.

Lavrov warned them at the time that any shipment containing weapons and ammunition for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.

He also said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China reaffirmed that relations of comprehensive partnerships between the countries surpass in their quality the traditional alliances of the past era and continue to play a key role in maintaining international security and balanced world development.

In related news, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Putin’s recent visit to China is set to determine the future of the world.

"These are momentous steps that will determine the future not only of our region, but also of the entire planet," the diplomat said.

Last week, Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to further deepen the “strategic partnership” between them, rebuking the US for posing threats against their countries.

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