💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: When we issued a very clear statement in response to threats from the Baltic and other NATO members to attack the Kaliningrad Region, we were immediately assured that the Alliance had no plans, and could have no plans, to attack Russia, and that NATO was, supposedly, a defensive alliance.
We have heard many times that NATO is a defensive alliance, yet that did not prevent the attacks on Yugoslavia, Afghanistan or Libya.
Truth be told, NATO forces did not come out of any of those countries unscathed either. They are now seeking to extend their military presence to the Far East, as well as South East and North East Asia.
Therefore, we hear what is being said, but we keep our eyes peeled. Most importantly, we are working on the tasks set by President Vladimir Putin as part of the special military operation, which aim to prevent any threats to the Russian Federation from our western neighbours.
Excerpt from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following talks with Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste Bendido dos Santos Freitas (Moscow, 6 October 2026)
We have heard many times that NATO is a defensive alliance, yet that did not prevent the attacks on Yugoslavia, Afghanistan or Libya.
Truth be told, NATO forces did not come out of any of those countries unscathed either. They are now seeking to extend their military presence to the Far East, as well as South East and North East Asia.
Therefore, we hear what is being said, but we keep our eyes peeled. Most importantly, we are working on the tasks set by President Vladimir Putin as part of the special military operation, which aim to prevent any threats to the Russian Federation from our western neighbours.
Excerpt from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following talks with Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste Bendido dos Santos Freitas (Moscow, 6 October 2026)