Moscow dismisses Western fears of an inevitable military confrontation, but warns it would respond if subjected to aggression….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Russia has no intention, plans or reason to launch an attack on any European country, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said, dismissing Western suggestions that a military confrontation with Moscow is inevitable.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion titled “Militarization of Europe: What Next?”, held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Ryabkov said Western countries were increasingly discussing the prospect of a military conflict in Europe as though it were “almost predetermined and inevitable”.
According to a statement published on the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, Ryabkov stressed that Russia posed no threat to any country and had no plans to attack anyone in the near, medium or long term. However, he warned that Moscow would be “forced to respond” if subjected to aggression.
He also accused some European governments of having no genuine intention of bringing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end.
Ryabkov said the conflict could have been resolved by taking into account the legitimate interests of all parties, but alleged that Western countries had pushed Ukraine to abandon reasonable solutions and opt for war.
Russia calls for future dialogue with Europe
Addressing the future of relations between Moscow and European capitals, Ryabkov said Russia believed European countries would eventually become willing to resume dialogue on the basis of equality, indivisible security, pragmatism and mutual respect for interests.
Long-term stability in Europe could not be achieved without taking into account the interests of Russia and its allies, he added.
At the same event, Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, said European countries had offered their populations no vision of the future other than the prospect of an inevitable conflict with Russia.
She also criticised NATO’s concept of “escalation management”, describing it as harmful and warning against the assumption that an escalation between Russia and NATO could be kept under control.
According to Zhdanova, the approach effectively encourages NATO and the European Union to act recklessly while doing little to reduce military risks.
