A senior Russian official and close ally of Vladimir Putin claimed NATO isn't "hiding" it is preparing for a war.

10:00, Tue, Jan 20, 2026 Updated: 10:10, Tue, Jan 20, 2026

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Image: Getty)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has extraordinarily accused NATO of preparing for war against Russia. His unfounded claim came during a press conference in which he summarised his country's diplomatic activities in 2025. 

He said: "If you read the statements of European politicians and leaders—Kaja Kallas, Ursula von der Leyen, Merz, Starmer, Macron, Rutte—they are seriously preparing for war against the Russian Federation, and, in fact, they are not hiding it." Mr Lavrov, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, also went on to defend the unlawful invasion of Ukraine.

He told reporters the attack on the neighbouring nation was, according to Russia's position, "the need to address the root causes of this crisis".

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The unprovoked invasion was launched under the order of Putin in February 2022.