Russia’s Lavrov Accuses West of Cold War Revival at OSCE Meeting, Walks Out Before US Response
Tensions flared at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting Thursday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of escalating the conflict in Ukraine and reviving Cold War dynamics, Al Jazeera reports.
Lavrov, speaking at his first EU stop since the February 2022 invasion, delivered a forceful rebuke of Western actions, characterizing them as a deliberate attempt to reignite Cold War tensions and portray Russia as an adversary.
He argued that the US, seeking to restore NATO’s prominence after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, had manufactured a new common enemy in Russia.
“The result,” Lavrov said, “is the reincarnation of the Cold War, with a far greater risk of escalation.”
He then departed the meeting.
Blinken, in his subsequent remarks, countered Lavrov’s assertions, placing the onus of escalation on Russia.
The OSCE, a 57-nation body established during the Cold War, has been largely incapacitated since the war in Ukraine. Moscow’s use of its veto power on certain decisions requiring unanimous consent has effectively paralyzed the organization’s ability to move forward in certain areas.
This year’s event takes place amid uncertainty surrounding potential diplomatic efforts. With US President-elect Donald Trump’s stated intention to pursue a rapid resolution to the conflict, the focus has shifted to the push by Kyiv to get millitary aid from the West ahead of the January inauguration. However, Lavrov’s comments strongly dispute the underlying narrative of Russian aggression and instead frame the conflict within a broader context of geopolitical maneuvering, stressing NATO’s expansion to the East, which Russia considers to be a threat to its sovereignty.
