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On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned Western nations against any aggressive moves toward Moscow, asserting that such actions would prompt a “decisive response.” He specifically warned against attempts to interfere with aircraft in Russian airspace and criticized Germany for its militaristic statements.
“Should aggression be directed at my country, it will be met with a firm response. This is something that should not be doubted by those in NATO and the EU who … are suggesting to their constituents that a war with Russia is unavoidable,” he communicated to the United Nations General Assembly.
Recent incursions into airspace associated with Russia have caused anxiety among Eastern European nations, where Russia is perceived as the most significant threat since the Cold War concluded. Optimism has waned for a swift resolution to Moscow’s conflict with Ukraine.
United States President Donald Trump said this week that he endorsed the idea of shooting down Russian jets that violate NATO airspace, part of a rhetorical shift that saw him mock Russia’s military performance in Ukraine and call it a paper tiger.
Lavrov brushed off Trump’s most recent remarks during a press conference that followed his General Assembly speech, but issued a warning about any moves against aircraft inside Russia.
“If there are attempts to down any flying object, any object … in our airspace, then I think people will very much regret undertaking such an egregious violation of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he said.
He remarked that only the “politically blind” would foresee Ukraine reclaiming its pre-February 2022 borders, indirectly responding to Trump’s claim that Kyiv might regain all territories occupied by Russia.
Lavrov also singled out German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, referring to what he said was “militaristic rhetoric” and said Moscow was alarmed by remarks by politicians in EU and NATO capitals of a looming World War Three as a “likely scenario”.
Despite taking aim at NATO and the European Union, Lavrov made clear Moscow remained hopeful of “frank dialogue” with the United States under Trump despite the US president’s recent shifting stance.
He mentioned that a third round of discussions between the US and Russia is scheduled in the following months, focusing on bettering their embassy operations, which have suffered from many years of mutual diplomatic expulsions and restrictions.
Lavrov met US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Lavrov said he did not see economic relations between Russia and India as under threat, as Trump has placed tariffs on products from India, calling on it and China to stop purchasing Russian oil.
