Speaking at the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg on September 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on U.S.-Russia relations and the real danger of a war with Europe. Noting that the conflict in Ukraine was “a direct consequence of the West’s expansionist policy,” he warned that any direct deployment of Western troops into Ukraine would turn this from a hybrid war to a direct war with Europe. “Recently, President Vladimir Putin once again addressed this issue in detail, stressing that we have no interest whatsoever in doing so,” Lavrov said. “However, if Europe, which never stops speaking about preparing for war against Russia, attacks the Russian Federation, it will be a completely different war. A very short one. I hope European capitals and the entities that are now trying to portray themselves as united Europe heard this warning.”

He again expressed a willingness to negotiate a resolution of the Ukraine war as well as a resolution of the overall conflicts Russia has with the West. This has been rejected by the West, he said, “which never learned to interact on an equal basis. I am confident that this ‘learning’ process will continue and will have its impact,” he added.