Warning from Lavrov to Europe: "If Russia attacks, it will take a very short time"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made remarkable statements regarding the possibility of a direct military conflict between Europe and Moscow.

Speaking at the International Youth Festival held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Lavrov argued that Moscow did not plan to attack Western countries.

“Russia has repeatedly said that it will not attack Western countries and has no such intention,” Lavrov said.

However, Lavrov stated that if Europe attacked Russia, the response would be different and said, "This would be a completely different war and it would last a very short time."

In his speech, Lavrov accused Western countries of pursuing a policy of "containment" of Russia for a long time.

The Russian administration portrays NATO's eastward expansion as a threat to its security and lists this as one of the reasons for its policies towards Ukraine.

NATO and Western governments state that the alliance is for defensive purposes and that countries apply for membership of their own choosing.

“WE WILL DEFEAT QUICKLY” FROM POLAND

Lavrov's words came after the statement made by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski a few days ago.

Sikorski argued that if Russia attacks NATO, the alliance has a great advantage against Moscow, especially in terms of air power.

"If Russia attacks us and we take off the gloves, I think we can defeat Russia pretty quickly," said Sikorski, asserting that NATO has "overwhelming air superiority" over Russia.

Sikorski later stated that his statement did not mean a bilateral war between Poland and Russia, but a conflict that could arise if Russia attacked NATO.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also suggested the establishment of a "European Security Council" following increasing security concerns.

According to von der Leyen's plan, it is aimed to establish a new structure in which partners such as the UK, Norway, Canada and Ukraine, as well as EU countries, can be included, and to create a common emergency response mechanism against "hybrid threats" such as sabotage, cyber attacks and unmanned aerial vehicle violations.

Von der Leyen said that if an EU country encounters a security threat, a "counter hybrid threat protocol" should be worked on, which envisages member states coming together quickly and providing a joint response.

RUSSIA-DENMARK TENSION IN THE BALTICS

Security discussions in Europe escalated with the latest incident in the Baltic Sea.

The Danish Ministry of Defense announced that two flares were fired from a Russian warship at a military helicopter performing routine duty in international waters, and one of them passed a few meters away from the helicopter.

The Copenhagen administration described the incident as "unacceptable" and summoned the Russian Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moscow, on the other hand, claimed that Danish helicopters were performing "dangerous maneuvers" near Russian warships.

While the tension continued, CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow last month also attracted attention.

According to CBS News and Wall Street Journal reports based on sources close to the matter, Ratcliffe warned Russian officials about a possible attack against NATO countries.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described these news as "horror stories" and argued that the allegations did not reflect the truth.

After Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, relations between Moscow and NATO countries fell to one of the lowest levels of the post-Cold War era.