The key facts
- Sergey Ryabkov said Russia is ready for an attack by Europe, but the war will be “different and very short”
- The statement came in a video address to a round table on the militarization of Europe at the OSCE venue in Vienna
- Earlier, Sergey Lavrov, at a conference in Minsk, also warned of a “very short” war in the event of an attack on Russia
Ryabkov's statement in Vienna
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia is ready for a military confrontation with European countries if they start a war first. According to him, such a conflict would be fundamentally different from the current standoff and would end within a short time. This is reported by Life.ru.
Content of the warning
“Europe is preparing for war. And if it starts one, we are ready for such a development. However, this war will be different and very short,” the outlet quotes the diplomat as saying. The warning came in a video address by Ryabkov to participants of an international round table devoted to the militarization of Europe. The event was held in Vienna at the venue of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Lavrov made a similar statement earlier
As Life.ru notes, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier also warned Europe of a “very short” war in the event of an attack on Russia. Speaking on November 3 at the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, the minister stressed that Moscow does not intend to start an armed conflict with European states, but is ready to respond to possible aggression.
Context
Both statements share a common formula: Moscow, according to Russian diplomats, does not act as the initiator of a conflict with Europe, but promises a swift response in case of an attack. Ryabkov's statement was made at the OSCE venue — an organization within which European countries and Russia formally remain participants of the same security forum. Additional details or reactions from European parties are not provided in the publication.
