Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said he believes NATO and the European Union (EU) are building a coalition that could eventually wage war with Russia.
© Photo by Aziz Karimov/Getty ImagesRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed NATO and the EU are forming a coalition against Russia. In this photo, Lavrov is seen speaking during a joint news conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Baramov following talks on June 24, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Russia state media outlets reported Lavrov made the comments while speaking at a news conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, following a meeting with Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan's minister of foreign affairs.
During the conference with reporters, Lavrov discussed the EU's Thursday decision to grant candidacy status to Ukraine and Moldova. The move by the EU, which is the first step in the process to full membership, was seen as sign of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. (Both Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the union soon after Russia began its attacks on Ukraine in late February.)