Lavrov says Russia ready to offer ‘security guarantees’ to EU and NATO

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow is prepared to offer «security guarantees» to the European Union and NATO, insisting that Russia harbors no hostile intentions toward Western countries.

Speaking at the International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk, Lavrov said Russia «has never had and does not have any plans to attack NATO or EU member states» and is willing to formalize that stance through new regional security agreements.

However, Lavrov criticized European leaders for what he called their refusal to engage with Moscow on a collective security framework.

«The EU is moving away from discussions on joint guarantees and instead pursuing arrangements not with Russia but against Russia,» he said, according to the state news agency TASS.

His comments come amid ongoing tensions over the war in Ukraine and Western accusations that Moscow continues to destabilize Europe through hybrid warfare and disinformation.

Lavrov has recently sought to downplay Russia’s role in the conflict, claiming that the 2022 invasion did not violate the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty. He also rejected a recent U.S. cease-fire proposal along the current front line, signaling that Russia’s position on the war remains unchanged.