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Lavrov casts doubt on European bid to build security without Russia, Belarus

"Europe's security now boils down to its complete subordination to the United States," the top diplomat stressed

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. European politicians are trying to build security without Russia and Belarus, but Moscow does not need this kind of security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on European security issues on Thursday.

"They are already trying to build security without Russia and Belarus. But now they need to agree among themselves. [French President Emmanuel] Macron has urgently flown to Washington to make complaints and demands. I do not know what will come of this. But we don’t need this sort of security. Europe's security now boils down to its complete subordination to the United States," he maintained.

Lavrov recalled that several years ago EU nations were debating the strategic autonomy of the European Union. In particular, France proposed creating the EU’s own armed forces.

"There were such discussions in Germany, too, but it was France that kept pressing for the idea of the EU’s army and strategic autonomy most actively. However, a member of the staff of the White House National Security Council said, though, that Europe must ditch any hope of ever creating its own army and "you can’t get away from NATO."

In Germany, a couple of years ago, these discussions also ended with the same conclusion that Germany should rely on NATO regarding security matters, Lavrov recalled.

He mentioned the stance taken by a number of other countries, noting that it was not only anti-Russian, but in some cases anti-European.

"Not to mention Poland and the Baltic states, just like a number of Central European countries, which seemingly had always demonstrated sensible approaches. Now they have ultra-radical, Russophobic and generally anti-European governments, by and large," he stressed.