Russia Slams EU Arctic Plan; Lavrov Heads to G20 in Atlanta
(MENAFN) Europe remains unwilling to take part in an “honest discussion” about its own interests, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged that the leadership of European institutions keeps pressing Moscow with demands that are “entirely detached from reality.”
She was blunt about what Moscow sees as the core of Europe’s security thinking.
“As for European security, our Western neighbors still perceive its essence – or so they believe – as the continued flooding of the Kyiv regime with weapons and open preparation for a direct confrontation with our country in the coming years,” Zakharova said.
Russia has detected no change in approach among most European Union politicians, she said. As evidence, she pointed to the 27-member bloc’s new Arctic strategy, published Oct. 20, which she argued shows Brussels intends to “continue pursuing active military development” in the region.
She dismissed the revised document as “lacking both originality and fresh thinking,” then added: “In effect, this cements the EU’s politicized approach to the high latitudes – a region that Brussels now views primarily through the lens of escalation and, as stated, the containment of Russia.”
On Ukraine, Zakharova accused Kyiv of working to sabotage efforts by Moscow and Washington to restart consultations on ending a war now more than four years old. She said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “literally obsessed” with prolonging the conflict.
She also confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 30-31. Most organizational issues for the Russian delegation’s participation have been settled, she said.
“I should mention, however, that given that the departure is scheduled for within the next 24 hours, most issues were successfully resolved at the last minute. So the delegation has been formed, all formalities are complete, and it is ready to get to work,” she said.
Speaking at a press briefing, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged that the leadership of European institutions keeps pressing Moscow with demands that are “entirely detached from reality.”
She was blunt about what Moscow sees as the core of Europe’s security thinking.
“As for European security, our Western neighbors still perceive its essence – or so they believe – as the continued flooding of the Kyiv regime with weapons and open preparation for a direct confrontation with our country in the coming years,” Zakharova said.
Russia has detected no change in approach among most European Union politicians, she said. As evidence, she pointed to the 27-member bloc’s new Arctic strategy, published Oct. 20, which she argued shows Brussels intends to “continue pursuing active military development” in the region.
She dismissed the revised document as “lacking both originality and fresh thinking,” then added: “In effect, this cements the EU’s politicized approach to the high latitudes – a region that Brussels now views primarily through the lens of escalation and, as stated, the containment of Russia.”
On Ukraine, Zakharova accused Kyiv of working to sabotage efforts by Moscow and Washington to restart consultations on ending a war now more than four years old. She said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “literally obsessed” with prolonging the conflict.
She also confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 30-31. Most organizational issues for the Russian delegation’s participation have been settled, she said.
“I should mention, however, that given that the departure is scheduled for within the next 24 hours, most issues were successfully resolved at the last minute. So the delegation has been formed, all formalities are complete, and it is ready to get to work,” she said.
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