The key facts
- Yulia Zhdanova spoke at the round table 'The Militarization of Europe: What Next?' at the OSCE platform in Vienna
- She stated that Moscow does not plan to attack NATO countries and is ready to fix this position in writing
- Earlier, Sergey Ryabkov warned that a conflict with Europe, if its states start the war first, 'would not last very long'
A warning at the OSCE platform
Head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna on military security and arms control issues, Yulia Zhdanova, stated that European countries risk facing irreversible consequences if they continue preparing for a military confrontation with Russia. The statement was made at the international round table 'The Militarization of Europe: What Next?' held at the OSCE platform, reports Life.ru.
The essence of the statement
'European countries must abandon their course of preparing for war with us. We are one step away from the edge of the abyss, from which there will be no way back,' the outlet quotes Zhdanova as saying. According to her, Moscow does not plan to attack NATO countries and does not seek an armed conflict with Europe, and the Russian side is ready to fix this position in writing. Further development of relations, the diplomat noted, depends on the decisions of the European authorities.
Assessments and context
Zhdanova emphasized that, in her observation, European countries are not yet seeking compromises or taking each other's interests into account, and their governments are not paying due attention to the risks of military confrontation. She also expressed the opinion that there are forces within Europe interested in starting a war against Russia, and it is this that explains the insufficient analysis of the consequences of the current political course.
Ryabkov's statement
The statement in Vienna came against the backdrop of an earlier remark by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. He declared Moscow's readiness for a military clash with European states if they are the first to start a war, and warned that such a conflict would differ from previous wars and 'would not last very long.' Both statements are warnings and assessments from the Russian side: the publication does not report any reaction from European countries or the OSCE to Zhdanova's words.
