Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued a warning to countries preparing for a possible war with Russia.
At a press conference on Wednesday at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, Lavrov commented on calls from many Western nations anticipating a possible conflict with Russia in the coming years, saying he hoped “those who warn of the need.” “To prepare for war with Russia, they still have the instinct of self-preservation.”
Lavrov appeared to be referring to warnings from several NATO members that growing tensions over the war in Ukraine could spill over to other parts of Eastern Europe. President Joe Biden has warned that Washington and the West risk being drawn “directly” into war with Moscow if the US cannot continue to support Ukraine's defense against Russian invasion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov holds a news conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Wednesday. Lavrov issued a warning to countries that have spoken out about preparing for a future war with Russia. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
“We have neither the desire nor the need, either militarily, politically or economically, to attack anyone anywhere,” Lavrov said on Wednesday, according to a report in the Russian newspaper Pravda.
The Kremlin has previously dismissed concerns about a future conflict with the West, including after a report by German newspaper Bild earlier this year that said Berlin was preparing its forces for a future attack on Moscow, according to a secret document reviewed by the newspaper. At the time, Russian foreign policy spokeswoman Maria Zakharova compared the predictions to “a powerful horoscope.”
The German Council for Foreign Policy also predicted in November that NATO would be prepared for a major war with Russia within five to nine years. Estonia's foreign intelligence service published a report last month setting that time horizon at three to five years. He expressed concerns that the Baltic states, alongside the Western bloc – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – are viewed by the Kremlin as “the most vulnerable part of NATO”.
NATO has taken steps in recent months to strengthen its own defense. The alliance last week announced plans for Operation Steadfast Defender 2024, NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War. The exercise will involve 90,000 Allied soldiers and is scheduled to take place in Poland, which borders Russia. Exercise locations are also set in the Baltic states and other European allies, although NATO has not identified specific threats that prompted the exercise.
A handful of Western allies also joined forces earlier this month to buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles to bolster Europe's air defense systems. The $5.6 billion deal was signed by Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, among others.
Newsweek reached out to NATO's press office via email on Wednesday seeking comment.
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Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.