Nebenzya at the UN Security Council meeting: Russia does not seek war with Europe, but warned of the consequences

Address at the UN Security Council meeting

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said at a meeting of the Security Council of the world organization that Russia does not seek a military confrontation with Europe, reports Gazeta.Ru citing RIA Novosti. «Our country has repeatedly stated that it does not seek an armed confrontation with Europe. However, if the European states themselves unleash a war, the nature of the confrontation will be fundamentally different, and events may unfold rapidly,» the diplomat said.

A warning to countries «playing» with confrontation

Nebenzya added that countries which are «irresponsibly playing» with the prospect of a direct confrontation with a nuclear power should keep this in mind. Thus, the permanent representative combined the statement that Moscow has no intention of fighting Europe with a direct warning about the consequences if the conflict is initiated by the European side.

Context: recent statements by Russian officials

Nebenzya's statement fits into a series of recent public remarks by Russian officials on this topic. On November 3, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov statedthat Russia is not planning any war with Europe, but is ready to respond to its actions; he recalled that President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow does not want and is not planning a military confrontation with European countries. Earlier, according to the outlet, the Foreign Ministry's official spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked the British Defence Secretary after his remarks about preparing for war. All three episodes share a single line: denial of any intention to wage war on Europe combined with statements of readiness to respond.