ANTALYA, March 2. /TASS/. Statements by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and French President Emmanuel Macron indicate that the "party of war" does not want to change its course toward "inflicting strategic defeat on Russia," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

"The situation clearly indicates that the "war camp" in Europe is still very strong <...> The latest statements by both Macron and Austin, and the conversation of German generals still indicate that the "war party" still does not want to change its course to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield. We understand it," he said.

In the past few months, there have been many analytical publications hinting that Western leadership has begun to understand the futility of continuing to push Ukraine towards military action, Lavrov noted. However, recent statements by top officials, including the exposure of the German military command, indicate the opposite.