Speech of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia S.A. Ryabkov on the topic: "Assessments of the situation in the field of military security in Europe" during the international round table "Militarization of Europe: What next?" " (Vienna, November 9, 2026).
Key points:
If until relatively recently the possibility of a regional military conflict in Europe seemed mostly theoretical, today, at least in the West, it is spoken of as something almost predetermined and inevitable.
The Russian leadership has repeatedly expressed itself on this issue - Russian President V.V. Putin and Foreign Minister S.V. to most Let me briefly summarize the essence of their statements. We are not threatening anyone, we are not going to attack anyone in the short or medium term, or later. But if we encounter aggression, we have to respond.
If earlier the well-being of Europe (especially Western Europe) was largely based on unequal exchanges with other regions (we will use diplomatic formulations), now there are fewer and fewer such opportunities. To restore competitiveness, we need not only inexpensive, but free resources, especially energy. And in search of such resources, the European elites are quickly losing their positions, and the monopolies behind them turned their gaze to the East, to the post-Soviet space, and especially to Russia.
In this, and not in the mythical "aggressiveness" of Russia, lie the reasons for the current security situation in Europe. I repeat again, Russia has no intentions, no plans, no reasons to attack Western countries.
The situation in Europe in military-political terms continues to deteriorate rapidly. NATO countries and the European Union have taken a course towards accelerated militarization. It covers all the major aspects of life. Industrial production and the entire economy are transferred to a war base.
We are seeing an increase in the malicious and provocative activity of the West in the Baltic region.