Putin Made Clear Russia Would Respond Equally to an Attack on Any of Its Regions: Lavrov

Dragon Media News Desk

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had made clear that an attack on the Kaliningrad Region or any other region of the Russian Federation would draw the same response. Lavrov spoke at a joint press conference with Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, in Moscow on October 6.

Answering questions from journalists, Lavrov said Russia had issued a clear response to threats by the Baltic states and other NATO members to attack the Kaliningrad Region. He said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker had then assured Russia that the alliance had no plans to attack it and that such an attack could not happen because NATO was a defensive alliance.

Lavrov said the claim that NATO is a defensive alliance had not saved Yugoslavia, Afghanistan or Libya. NATO members are now seeking to extend their military presence to the Far East, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, he said. Russia is listening to their statements while remaining vigilant, he added.

Lavrov said the objective set by President Putin for the special military operation was to prevent threats to Russia from its western neighbours. He stressed that a lasting settlement of the Ukraine crisis required addressing its well-known root causes.

Lavrov described his talks with Freitas as friendly and productive. They discussed the current state and prospects of Russian–Timor-Leste relations, as well as international issues. He said both sides were interested in expanding cooperation in line with agreements reached during a meeting between President Putin and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão in Kazan in June this year.

Although progress in trade and economic relations between the two countries had so far been limited, the talks identified promising opportunities, Lavrov said. Both sides are interested in exploring joint investment projects in energy, mining, fisheries and tourism, he added.

Freitas proposed regular foreign policy consultations between the two countries’ foreign ministries. Russia supported the proposal, and the sides will draw up a plan for those contacts, Lavrov said.