Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Warns NATO On Defense Spending | NewsX World

It is not often that I find myself describing statements by Sergei Lavrov as empty propaganda, but that is exactly what his latest remarks on Europe’s plans to increase military budgets amounts to. In particular his suggestion that the spending rises would have ‘catastrophic’ consequences sound not just peculiar but downright foolish. “Catastrophic” for whom? Certainly not for Russia.

However, Lavrov was just one voice in a chorus of Russian senior politicians denouncing the policy of mandatory 5% of GDP spending agreed at the NATO summit in the Hague last Friday. President Putin himself described this as proof of Europe’s planning for war on Russia, as a step into a new arms race. While Europe is adding trillions to its already enormous spending on the military, Russia expects to reduce its military budget by 6% in 2026, said Putin, demonstrating its commitment to peace.

Meanwhile, the Sunday night Solovyov talk show was filled with dire predictions of existential threats to Russia coming in particular from Germany and its chancellor Merz. Russian viewers would have needed very steady nerves to get a good night’s sleep after the Solovyov panelists had their say.

In my interview with India’s NewsX World this morning, I maintain that Russia’s latest salvo in the Information War is maladroit and largely a waste of time. Putin, Lavrov and their minions surely know very well that Europe is and will remain a paper tiger.