Lavrov tells BBC Europe is waging war on Russia as Putin shows no sign of ending war
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tells the BBC Europe is waging war on Russia, as Moscow shows no sign of ending its invasion of Ukraine and tensions with Europe rise.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he has no doubt Europe is waging war against Russia, in an interview with a British broadcaster. He was asked whether Moscow accepts that it is waging a hybrid war against Europe. He replied by referring to Russian forces destroying drones and missiles supplied to Ukraine by Britain and continental Europe, saying they are used to attack Russia.
'Call it what you want, but I have no doubt this is a war Europe is waging against us,' Lavrov said, adding that Russia has been saying this for a long time. The claim fits the Kremlin's official line that the conflict in Ukraine is Europe's war on Russia. It skips the fact that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lavrov was also asked about earlier comments in which he accused the West of using brutal force around the world. He pointed to the bombing and killing of Iran's leadership, including family members and children. When asked if Russia was itself using brute force in Ukraine every day, he said Russia was destroying infrastructure used by what he called a Nazi regime backed by the West to wage war on the Russian Federation. He said Russia was using brute force to remove what it calls a direct threat. The framing echoes Moscow's efforts to portray Ukraine's leadership as neo-Nazi in order to justify its actions.
Other recent developments point to continued escalation. President Vladimir Putin is due to speak later at the Valdai Foreign Policy Forum in Moscow, where his remarks are watched for clues about Russia's thinking on Ukraine. There is little sign Moscow is preparing to change course. Western officials accuse Russia of increasing pressure on Europe through cyber attacks, sabotage and incursions into European airspace.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said this week that factories in Europe that produce arms for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia. In the Russian parliament, Putin met newly elected MPs, including dozens of soldiers who fought in Ukraine, and told them to do everything they can for victory. The broadcast report said Putin does not appear ready to end the war.
The wider picture is one of rising tension between Moscow and Europe. Russia's so-called special military operation has not gone to plan, but the Kremlin appears to believe it has the resources and determination to prevail. Foreign policy hawk Sergei Karaganov said Russia should be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on Europe. He admitted Russia had suffered heavy troop losses and criticised his government for not being rough enough, before saying Russia was now getting rough enough in Ukraine and was 'doing away with Ukraine as a viable state.'
For now, Russia feels no compulsion to end hostilities, and from Moscow's vantage point peace looks a long way off.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| BBC News noted Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which was not reflected in Lavrov's account, and BBC ONE West described Ukraine as invaded more than four and a half years earlier. | Reported by BBC One | |
| Lavrov accused Europe of waging war against Russia. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Foreign policy hawk Sergei Karaganov said Russia should be prepared to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on Europe. | Not reported by BBC News | |
| Putin was scheduled to speak at the Valdai Foreign Policy Forum in Moscow later that day. | Not reported by BBC One | |
| Russia's Foreign Ministry said European factories producing arms for Ukraine were potential military targets for Russia. | Not reported by BBC News | |
| Western officials accused Russia of increasing pressure on Europe through cyber attacks, sabotage and airspace incursions. | Not reported by BBC One | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This report led on Lavrov's interview and challenged Russia's official narrative directly. It focused on whether Moscow admits waging a hybrid war, Lavrov's claim that Europe is at war with Russia, and his use of Iran and Ukraine to justify Russian force. It also noted that his account skips Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion and flagged Western accusations of Russian cyber attacks, sabotage and airspace incursions.
- “Call it what you want, but I have no doubt this is a war Europe is waging against us.”
- “If you mean the destruction of infrastructure used by a Nazi regime backed by the West to wage war on the Russian Federation, then we are resorting to brute force to eliminate this direct threat to us.”
- “The fact that they bombed and eliminated Iran's leadership along with their families, including children, isn't that brute force?”
This bulletin used the Lavrov interview inside a wider Steve Rosenberg analysis of Kremlin signals. It asked whether Putin will escalate in Ukraine or confront Europe, highlighted soldiers elected to parliament, the Foreign Ministry's threat to European arms factories, and a hawk's call for a preemptive nuclear strike. The tone was explanatory and warning, ending with the view that peace is a long way off.
- “Call it what you want he says but that this is a war that Europe is waging against us of that I have no doubt”
- “This week Russia's Foreign Ministry said factories in Europe that produce arms for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia.”
- “We are doing away with Ukraine as a viable state”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.