Russian foreign chief accuses Americans of ‘enslaving Europe’ through membership of Nato
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday said the United States had created an “existential” threat to Moscow by directly participating in the Ukraine war.
He also warned of an “immense” risk of a potential nuclear war breaking out.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Mr Lavrov had strong words for the Biden administration, and refuted the notion that Russia had walked away from contact with America.
Referring to the 1949 establishment of Nato, he said Lord Ismay, the alliance’s first secretary general, was determined to keep Russia out of Europe while enabling the US to maintain a presence there.
Decades on, he claimed the US was in control of Europe after “enslaving” the continent.
“We remember how Nato was formed,” he said. “Mr Ismay deduced a formula — to keep Russia out of Europe, America in Europe and Germany under control. The Americans enslaved all of Europe, and they kept not only Germany, but the whole EU under control.”
In the lead up to the conflict in Ukraine, Mr Lavrov said Russia had seen how “the West was pulling Ukraine into Nato” and claimed Moscow’s call for guarantees against the expansion of the military alliance fell on deaf ears.
“We saw with what persistence the West was pulling Ukraine into Nato, which was an obvious red line for Russia which they had known for many years,” he said. “We have proposed to abandon the expansion of Nato and agree on specific security guarantees for Ukraine, for Russia and for the EU.”
He added that Moscow’s demand for Nato to stop expanding was rebuffed.
“We were told only one thing, ‘Every country, first of all Ukraine, has the right to join Nato and nothing can be done about it,’” he said.
On the prospect of a nuclear war breaking out, he said there was a very real possibility.
“The risk that a non-nuclear confrontation between nuclear powers will turn into a nuclear war is immense,” he said.
He said the Russian government stands ready to play a responsible part in nuclear arms control. But he said it would not be possible to discuss nuclear stability while ignoring the West’s involvement in Ukraine.
“It is crystal clear that it is impossible to discuss strategic stability today while ignoring everything that is happening in Ukraine,” he said. “Because the goal in Ukraine has been declared – not to save Ukrainian democracy, but to defeat Russia on the battlefield, or even destroy Russia.”
He said Russia had never walked away from contact with the US but that it had not heard any “substantive ideas” from its American counterparts.
He said Moscow was not interested in the level of the proposed EU and G7 cap on Russian oil prices because deals with buyers could be organised directly.
Mr Lavrov repeated Russia’s position that Moscow would not supply oil to countries that backed such a price cap.
“We remember how Nato was formed,” he said. “Mr Ismay deduced a formula — to keep Russia out of Europe, America in Europe and Germany under control. The Americans enslaved all of Europe, and they kept not only Germany, but the whole EU under control.”
Lavrov must had a bad batch of coke delivered. I have never heard so much shit, which is saying a lot when talking about Lavrov.
I guess East Germany and the rest of the Soviet bloc, was a shining beacon of freedom and civil rights, compared to the rest of Europe?
BTW Lavrov, in 1949 when NATO was formed, there was no russia, did you forget about that?
F1: I don’t like to formally post the following info, as it may be alarmist speculation.
Obviously I hope it will not turn out to be anything.
“The unusually high number of bombers on the tarmac is an indication of an increase in operations, if not an imminent large-scale attack,” military analyst Arda Mevlutoğlu told SPIEGEL.”
(Extract from a live DT article).
I find it obscene that the allies can watch this preparation for mass murder yet do nothing about it.
Surely a decent president would say :
“We know what you’re doing putler. Cancel it and all other attacks on civilians. Or we will take severe action on you at a time and place of our choosing.”
“We were told only one thing, ‘Every country, first of all Ukraine, has the right to join Nato and nothing can be done about it,’”
Putin’s sheep just fundamentally don’t understand freedom nor sovereignty. That is the main problem with the Moskali, they think ALL countries should submit to them simply because they’re Moskali.
I wish someone would finally tell Horseface, “Look, you’re a failed terrorist war criminal state. You can’t even participate in international sports without doping, lying and cheating. You can’t honor treaties and agreements. You can’t respect other country’s borders. You do not contribute to world peace. Your army is being soundly defeated by Ukraine. You have all state-run media. Your elections are a sham. Your regime are all pathological liars. You kill opposition. And you never take responsibility for your actions. Nations join NATO and ally with the USA because they want to not because they are slaves. Slaves are who live in Moskovia where men are forced to go to Ukraine and fight…and die. Until you learn to respect other nations you will not be respected and will remain a pariah.”
His daughter must live terrible in Kensington…London.
Lavrov: Kherson will be liberated.,.its our todays Stalingrad.