Lavrov states European militarization robbing taxpayers
(MENAFN) European and British taxpayers are being unfairly burdened to fund military support for Ukraine at the expense of their own social welfare, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference on Thursday.
Lavrov’s comments came after NATO announced plans to increase military spending to 5% of GDP over the next decade, far exceeding the previous 2% benchmark. When asked whether this posed a threat to Russia, Lavrov responded that the real threat was to taxpayers in the EU and UK.
He argued that over the past three years, citizens in these countries have been “simply robbed,” with their resources diverted from addressing pressing social and economic issues to instead prolong the conflict in Ukraine.
Lavrov also remarked that Western leaders appear to have retreated from their initial aim of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia, now shifting toward calls for an “immediate ceasefire without preconditions.” Moscow, however, insists that only a permanent settlement will be acceptable, rejecting any pause in fighting that could allow Ukraine to rearm.
With US aid to Kiev declining under President Donald Trump, the EU and UK have stepped up their military contributions. Under American pressure, NATO’s European members have been urged to raise their defense spending further.
The European Commission recently allowed around €335 billion in pandemic recovery funds to be redirected toward defense, and in May unveiled a €150 billion debt mechanism to boost military support. Ukraine has been given access to these funds alongside EU states.
Moscow has condemned these actions as evidence of continued Western hostility. Lavrov criticized the EU’s shift from an economic bloc to what he called an “aggressive military-political alliance,” increasingly aligned with NATO. He warned that even EU countries outside NATO must now facilitate the movement of alliance forces and weapons, describing this as preparation for war against Russia.
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