European Union is turning into an arm of NATO, accuses Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Minister asserts that the European bloc has abandoned its economic character and now acts as a military appendage of the US and the Atlantic Alliance.
247 - In a speech on Tuesday (24) during an international forum in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, harshly criticized the current role of the European Union, stating that the bloc has abandoned its economic origins and has become an extension of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The statements were released by the RT agency.
According to Lavrov, the EU has undergone a "radical transformation," ceasing to be a project of economic integration and becoming an "aggressive political-military bloc," directly subordinated to the interests of NATO and, consequently, the United States. "The European Union is essentially a branch, or rather, an appendage of NATO," declared the Russian Foreign Minister.
The minister also highlighted the existence of a formal agreement between the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance, which foresees the possibility of NATO troops and military equipment crossing the territory of EU countries—including those that are not officially part of the military bloc—towards the so-called "eastern front," in case of strategic necessity. According to Lavrov, this type of understanding means that European countries are "directly involved in preparations for war against our country."
The statements come amid growing tension between Russia and the West, intensified after the release of embarrassing messages attributed to the current NATO chief, Mark Rutte, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The messages show Rutte celebrating American attacks on Iran, mimicking Trump's writing style and boasting about having secured more than double the military spending for EU countries, under the pretext of an alleged Russian threat.
In recent months, the European Union has deepened its militarization agenda. In May, member states approved a debt plan worth 150 billion euros (approximately 170 billion dollars) aimed at financing arms production and expanding military purchases, a measure that Moscow vehemently condemned. For the Russian government, this plan represents "a continuation of the bloc's hostile policies and militarization."
Russia has repeatedly stated that it has no hostile intentions towards EU countries and calls Western allegations "absurd" and the result of artificial alarmism created to justify the arms race. "These spending increases are, in fact, an incitement to war on the European continent," Russian officials warned.
On Monday (24), the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, also spoke about the topic during a graduation ceremony at the military academy. According to Putin, the West is using what he called a “fabricated horror story” about a possible Russian attack as a pretext to promote global militarization. “They repeat this farce year after year to provoke a new arms race,” declared the Russian leader.
The Kremlin views the recent European initiatives as part of a worrying escalation that, instead of guaranteeing security, increases the risk of conflict on the continent. At the same time, the Russian government argues that stability can only be achieved through dialogue, mutual respect, and indivisible security—principles that, according to Moscow, are being ignored by European leaders and NATO.
