Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered a fiery address, accusing the West—particularly Germany and the United States—of stoking conflict with Russia through unchecked military support for Ukraine. Speaking during a high-profile interview, Lavrov declared that "Russia is once again forced to fight alone" against a hostile collective West, drawing historical parallels with past invasions by Napoleon and Hitler.
Lavrov sharply criticized Berlin’s increasing militarization and suggested that Western leaders have forgotten the lessons of World War II. “We wanted peace. They wanted war,” Lavrov said, reinforcing Moscow’s claim that the conflict in Ukraine was provoked by NATO’s expansion and Washington’s refusal to engage diplomatically.