Lavrov warns Europe: war would be short if it attacks Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to foreign mission representatives in Moscow, said a war triggered by a European attack on Russia would be "different from previous ones and very short."
RastinewsRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a sharp warning to European countries at a roundtable meeting with foreign mission representatives in Moscow. Lavrov said Russia has no intention of attacking Europe, but added: "If the Europeans attack us, this war will be different and it will be very short."
"12 ships detained on fabricated grounds"
Lavrov said European interference with freedom of navigation has been increasing, claiming European countries have detained 12 Russian ships since January on "fabricated grounds." He also called the EU's stance on Crimea, Donbas and Ukraine's NATO membership "meaningless."
Ready to negotiate, but the operation continues
Addressing the possibility of resuming trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, Lavrov said: "We are always ready for serious negotiations, we have never given up on negotiations." He argued that the 2022 talks in Istanbul were blocked by Western interference, and said Russia would not halt its "special military operation" during any negotiation process.
Lavrov said the United States has yet to achieve results on Ukraine, Iran and Palestine, that the agreement signed with Iran in June has stalled, and that Trump's Gaza plan has also not been implemented.
Similar warnings made before
Lavrov recalled that on September 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said a war would be "completely different and very short" if Europe attacked. In his September 27, 2025 address to the UN General Assembly, Lavrov had also warned NATO and the EU that "any aggression would be met with a decisive response." In December 2025, he told the Federation Council that Moscow would retaliate if Europe sent troops to Ukraine or seized frozen Russian assets.