European troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets: Russia
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said European ambitions risk escalation in Ukraine as Russia prepares responses to hostile actions.
Any European troop contingents deployed to Ukraine would become legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published by state news agency TASS on Sunday.
Lavrov also accused European politicians of being driven by “ambitions” in their relations with Kiev and disregarding the people of Ukraine and of their own nations.
Earlier, Lavrov said Moscow would respond to any move to deploy European troops in Ukraine or to use frozen Russian assets to support Kiev.
He also underlined that Russia has no plans to go to war with Europe.
“However, we will respond to any hostile actions, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the seizure of Russian assets. We are already prepared for such a response,” he said.
Russia against Taiwan, warns Japan
Russia’s top diplomat has reiterated Moscow’s opposition to any form of Taiwanese independence, saying the island is an inseparable part of China.
In an interview with Russia’s state news agency TASS, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned Japan to “think carefully” about what he described as a path towards militarisation.
Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of deliberately stoking tensions in the Taiwan Strait, arguing that Washington was strengthening ties with Taiwan’s authorities despite formally adhering to the “One China” policy, in an article published in October.
China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory.
As Russia and China mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, Moscow says the two countries share closely aligned views on the risks posed by Western expansion in the Asia-Pacific.