War between Russia and Europe would be ‘very short’, Putin’s foreign minister warns

War between Russia and Europe would be ‘very short’, Putin’s foreign minister warns Veteran Putin ally Sergei Lavrov suggested a fight with Europe would not prove difficult for Moscow - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned a war with Europe would be “very short”, amid mounting tensions with Moscow. Lavrov insisted Russia has “no interest” in attacking Western countries but that if it were attacked first, it would retaliate and the outcome would be swift. “Russia has repeatedly said that we are not going to attack Western countries and have no interest in doing so,” he said in comments made at the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday. “But if Europe, which speaks regularly about preparing for war against Russia, attacks the Russian Federation, then this will be a completely different war, and it will be very short. “The West made a choice long ago in favour of containing Russia,” he said, referring to what he called Nato’s “forceful” expansion towards Russia’s borders, which it cites as a reason for the invasion of Ukraine. The veteran minister, known for his blunt statements, has been in the position since 2004. The comments came shortly after Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski claimed the alliance would beat Russia “quickly”, praising the “overwhelming superiority” of Poland’s air force. “If Russia attacked us and we took our gloves off, I think we would defeat Russia quite quickly. We have overwhelming superiority over Russia in air power,” he said on Monday. On Wednesday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed creating a European Security Council in a bid to beat hybrid attacks. She said the group could bring together the EU and partners including Canada, Britain and Norway in order to establish an “emergency security protocol”. “Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook,” she said in a State of the Union speech at the European Parliament, referring to so-called hybrid attacks such as sabotage attempts. “When triggered by one Member State, all member states would convene to coordinate a European response, to deter further escalation and to mitigate the impact.” On Tuesday, Denmark said a Russian warship had fired flares at a military helicopter without warning, while Moscow hit back that Danish aircraft had been performing dangerous manoeuvres and fly-bys near its fleet. Last month, CIA director John Ratcliffe made a rare trip to Moscow, the first since his predecessor made a visit in the weeks before the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News and the Wall Street Journal that Ratcliffe have made the journey in order to warn Russia against an attack on Nato. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the claims “scare stories”, adding that they “have nothing to do with reality”. He said Moscow “is facing a very aggressive policy towards itself from European countries.” Last year, Putin caused alarm after saying he was “ready to fight” Europe calling the countries “little pigs”, later backtracking and suggesting that the comments had been taken out of context. Earlier this month, he issued an ominous warning to the UK over its support for Ukraine. “That's a secret, a military secret,” he said in response to a question about whether Russia was weighing up options to attack the UK. He added that “any military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate target, British or otherwise”. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments