Russia will not be drawn into an arms race with Europe and is instead pushing for a new security agreement, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Speaking at the Fourth Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on Tuesday, Lavrov warned against further confrontation and urged European nations to reconsider their approach to relations with Moscow.
He called on countries to “honestly and realistically assess the situation and work together to overcome the accumulated mistakes and misunderstandings, paving the way for a genuinely fair system of mutual security guarantees.”
European leaders have openly discussed an arms race with Russia. In 2025, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the EU to arm itself “faster and more wisely than Russia” and expand its defense industry. Moscow responded that it would “not play this game.”
Lavrov also accused the EU of becoming an “aggressive militarist bloc” targeting Russia and Belarus. He claimed Brussels was seeking to exclude both countries from Europe’s security architecture and turn the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) into an instrument of EU and NATO policy.
Moscow has long demanded guarantees against NATO expansion and military deployments near its borders. European leaders, meanwhile, have warned that Russia could attack NATO countries – claims Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense.”
Lavrov's remarks come ahead of a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week, to be mediated by Washington, according to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. European representatives have not been invited, although US officials are expected to discuss security guarantees for Kiev separately with NATO allies in Brussels this week.
Britain and France, meanwhile, are preparing for a possible troop deployment to Ukraine. London announced on Tuesday that 2,800 troops from 11 countries would participate in an exercise in Poland to prepare for a post-conflict mission aimed at rebuilding Kiev's armed forces. Moscow has warned that Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin accused European leaders of undermining peace efforts by portraying Russia as a military threat and preparing for direct confrontation. He described such rhetoric as “political schizophrenia,” expressing hope that European governments would eventually recognize the benefits of peaceful relations with Moscow.
Putin also held talks last week with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, voicing support for dialogue with Western countries despite their military assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
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