In brief
At an OSCE‑sponsored event on November 9, 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia has no intention to attack European states and would only respond if provoked. He criticized Western discussions of a looming European conflict as inevitable and urged that European stability requires consideration of Russia’s interests. Yulia Zhdanova added criticism of NATO’s ‘escalation management’ concept, calling it harmful.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, in Moscow, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, spoke at an OSCE‑sponsored roundtable titled "Militarization of Europe: What Next?" and asserted that Moscow had no intention or plans to attack any European country.
During the discussion, Ryabkov criticised Western governments for treating the prospect of a military conflict in Europe as if it were “almost predetermined and inevitable.” He asserted that Russia poses no threat to any state and that Moscow would be forced to respond only if itself were subjected to aggression.
Ryabkov further argued that some European governments had not genuinely sought to end the Russia‑Ukraine war. He said that the conflict could have been resolved by taking into account the legitimate interests of all parties but that Western policy had pressured Ukraine to abandon reasonable solutions and pursue war instead.
Regarding the future of Russia‑Europe relations, Ryabkov said that Moscow believes European countries would eventually be willing to engage in dialogue based on equality, indivisible security, pragmatism, and a mutual consideration of interests. He added that long‑term stability in the region could not be achieved without incorporating the interests of Russia and its allies.
Also speaking at the event, Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, agreed that European nations had offered their populations no vision of a future beyond the suggestion of an inevitable conflict with Russia. She criticised NATO’s concept of "escalation management", describing it as harmful and warning that it could lead NATO and the European Union to act recklessly while failing to reduce military risks.
Both speakers called for a reassessment of Western strategies that, according to them, risked provoking confrontation. They emphasized that Russia’s stance remained defensive and that it would pursue military measures only when provoked by external aggression.
These remarks were made as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address tensions related to the Russia‑Ukraine war and to explore possible avenues of negotiation between Russia and European states.
