No European security without Russia and Belarus – Moscow
Western European states are creating a dangerous situation by trying to exclude Russian and Belarus from the continent’s security order, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Thursday.
The veteran diplomat accused EU leaders of allowing the US to dictate policy, and surrendering their own interests to Washington.
The West “is already trying to build a security architecture [in Europe] without Russia and Belarus. We don’t need such security,” Lavrov said during a video conference.
“The whole security [architecture] in Europe now comes down to it being completely subservient to the US,” he claimed.
There were discussions in France and Germany about the creation of the EU’s own military force a couple of years ago, Lavrov noted.
But those ideas have now been set aside, with both Paris and Berlin saying they would stick with the US-led NATO bloc, he said.
Instead of working towards collective security in Europe, the West is “digging dividing lines,” Lavrov said. “When the EU and NATO understands the futility of their current line and the great risks that it involves, we [Russia] will look at what they’ll be ready to offer us when they come asking to discuss some other possibilities.”
Moscow and Minsk, which already have a joint military grouping on the territory of Belarus, will continue to boost their security cooperation, the Russian foreign minister said.
Both countries realize the importance of such work, “considering the continued provocations, including those by Ukraine,” he added. “All the necessary measures aimed at maintaining readiness to deal with any possible developments have been implemented,” Lavrov said.
