UNITED NATIONS – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned NATO and the European Union on September 27 that any form of aggression against Russia would be met with a “decisive response,” heightening diplomatic unease as the war in Ukraine grinds on.
The strongly worded warning came as tensions along NATO’s eastern flank intensified in recent weeks. Estonia accused Moscow of sending three fighter jets into its airspace, while NATO forces reported downing Russian drones over Polish skies.
“Russia is being accused of almost planning to attack the North Atlantic Alliance and European Union countries. President Putin has repeatedly debunked these provocations,” Lavrov declared during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
The statements coincided with Washington’s more forceful tone on Russia. US President Donald Trump endorsed military action against Russian jets entering NATO-controlled skies, dismissing Moscow’s combat performance in Ukraine as that of a “paper tiger.” In a reaffirmation of its defense commitment, the United States told the UN Security Council it would “defend every inch of NATO territory.
”Lavrov, who has served as Russia’s top diplomat for over twenty years, voiced alarm at escalating rhetoric among some European and NATO leaders, warning against framing a potential World War III as an inevitable outcome.
“These figures are undermining any efforts to find a fair balance of interests among all of the members of the international community by trying to impose their unilateral approaches on everyone else,” he said.
Amid the heated exchanges, Lavrov also met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on September 24 during the sidelines of the UN’s annual conference of world leaders, though no major diplomatic breakthroughs were announced.