Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Germany's arming of Ukraine shows that Berlin is now directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine war. How far will the Kremlin go with its response, and does Russia now see NATO member Germany as a target as well?
Berlin’s push to escalate tensions and fuel the Ukrainian crisis signal that Germany “is being drawn directly into this war,” Russia’s foreign minister told journalist Pavel Zarubin.
“I hope responsible politicians in this country make the right conclusions and stop this madness,” Lavrov urged. As for Trump’s recent hostile rhetoric and claims, they indicate that the US president is “not being fully informed” on the conflict, with information “filtered” to him “by those who want to drag America into more aggressive actions against Russia,” Lavrov said.
Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the United Kingdom, France, the United States and now Germany had lifted range restrictions on military supplies to Ukraine to allow Kiev strike targets deep in the Russian territory.
The stinging comments by Lavrov come just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the US, UK, France and his own country have lifted the range restrictions on missiles supplied to Ukraine for use against Russia. Merz’s remarks had drawn a strong response from Moscow which warned that such a move would lead to a massive escalation in the conflict as now Ukraine can use western missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia.
Lavrov invoked European history to underline his concerns in one of his most striking remarks. “Twice in the 20th century, Germany became the leading European power,” Lavrov said. “And look at the horrors it brought - not just to the people of Europe.”
He used Germany’s role in World Wars as a warning against giving any one European power, especially within NATO, too much influence again.
He was referring to Germany’s recent massive military buildup, which Germans have justified as driven by fears of Russian aggression and uncertainty over US support under Trump, who has aligned more closely with Russian and business interests.
A $550-billion fund, approved in March 2025, will boost Germany’s defense budget from $68 billion annually to equip the Bundeswehr (German army) with more armored vehicles, air defense systems, warships, spy satellites, radar, radio jammers, and AI.
The plan also includes adding 20,000 troops to the current 180,000 and stationing a mechanized brigade in Lithuania to deter Russia. German Chancellor Merz, citing the need for “strategic independence” from the US, pushed for this spending to prepare for a potential Russian victory in Ukraine, which could threaten Europe.
Russia sees this as a threat, with countries like Sweden also increasing military budgets.
Lavrov on balancing NATO and Ukraine
Lavrov argued that Ukraine joining NATO would seriously violate past promises made to Russia.
“It would break a promise and an oath,” he said
He added that Russia had recognized Ukraine as an independent state but could not accept its push toward NATO membership
“To achieve peace, we must eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” Lavrov said, referring to NATO’s steady expansion eastward over the years.
His remarks indicated that in 1990, US officials, including Secretary of State James Baker, assured Soviet leaders that NATO would not expand eastward, particularly in relation to German reunification. However, these assurances were never formalized in a written treaty and were subsequently disregarded as NATO expanded into Eastern Europe.
UN’s role in preventing German Nazification
Lavrov also criticized the West, claiming it has caused many global crises by applying international law selectively.
He pointed to the UN Charter, saying its principles were ignored in the case of Ukraine and accused Ukraine of violating Article 1 of the Charter by banning the Russian language and persecuting the Orthodox Church. This is one of the rationales often given by the Russians behind attacking Ukraine.
The Global Russian vision
Lavrov further discussed the growing role of what he called the “Global Majority,” a reference to non-Western nations asserting more influence in world affairs.
He called for a multipolar world and said that global stability depends on whether the West respects the UN Charter fully, not selectively.
Experts view these comments as indicative of the seriousness with which Russia regards Moscow’s continuous opposition to NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe, along with its belief that the conflict in Ukraine stems from Western provocation.
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