Russia Accuses NATO, EU of Declaring 'Real War'

At a G20 foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov charged that NATO and the EU had "declared a real war" on Russia by supporting Ukraine, repeating the Kremlin's claim that the West provoked Moscow's 2022 invasion. Western officials, including British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, dismissed Lavrov's remarks as false distortions and reiterated that Russia's full‑scale invasion is an unprovoked act of aggression, while EU leaders urged continued pressure on Moscow. The comments came amid heightened tensions after recent incidents in allied airspace — Poland shot down Russian drones, Estonia reported MiG‑31 incursions and Romania recorded a drone overflight — and after U.S. President Donald Trump said Kyiv could retake territory and that NATO should shoot down Russian jets breaching allied airspace. Kremlin-aligned officials, including Russia's ambassador to France, warned that downing Russian military aircraft would be considered an act of war, raising the risk of direct confrontation. Kyiv also reported strikes on Russian Black Sea oil terminals using naval drones, illustrating how actions on and around Ukraine's frontiers are intensifying the potential for wider escalation as NATO and EU states seek to support Ukraine without becoming direct parties to the conflict.