NATO, EU have 'declared war' on Russia through Ukraine, Lavrov claims
NATO and the EU have "declared war" on Russia through Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on Sept. 25.
Lavrov’s remarks come amid rising tensions between Russia and NATO following recent violations of the alliance's airspace by Russian drones and fighter jets.
Russia's chief diplomat reiterated the Kremlin’s long-standing narrative that the West provoked the war in Ukraine and said NATO and the EU had moved beyond indirect support and were now parties to the war.
His comments echoed a similar statement made by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Sept. 15, who said that NATO is at war with Russia due to ongoing military support for Kyiv.
Peskov's comments came days after Poland shot down Russian drones that entered its airspace.
Following multiple Russian airspace violations across NATO member states, U.S. President Donald Trump said allies should shoot down Russian aircraft breaching their airspace, a position backed by several European officials.
In response, Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov warned on Sept. 25 that such actions by NATO would amount to "war" against Russia.
Poland shot down at least three Russian drones that entered its airspace on Sept. 10, while a few days later, Romania reported a Russian drone flying over its territory for nearly an hour.
On Sept. 19, Estonia accused Russia of violating its airspace with three MiG-31 fighter jets, which remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes.
A recent surge in Russian airspace violations and other provocations on NATO territory, including disinformation campaigns, has heightened concerns in the West over the risk of a broader Russian military escalation.
