Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the European Union (EU) of becoming an “aggressive and belligerent” actor in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with the conflict in Ukraine.

At a press conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Lavrov said, “The EU has ceased to be a constructive economic platform as it was created, and has turned into an aggressive and belligerent actor that shows its ambitions far beyond the European continent.” said.

In this context, the chancellor evaluated that “Kiev’s desire to become a member of the European Union is not unimportant”.

Lavrov accused the Europeans of “going exactly on the path NATO is already taking, confirming its tendency to unite with the North Atlantic Alliance, and will actually serve as an annex to NATO”.

The Minister condemned the comments of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited India at the end of April to strengthen strategic ties with this country, which declared itself neutral in the conflict.

“The end of the war will not only determine the future of Europe, but will also profoundly affect the Indo-Pacific region,” von der Leyen said.

Russia, to which the EU has imposed unprecedented sanctions, sees its Cold War old foe, the Atlantic Alliance, as an existential threat and justifies its attack on Ukraine, especially with Ukraine’s membership ambitions and Western political and military support.