Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a warning to countries preparing for a possible war with Russia.

Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, Lavrov commented on the calls of many Western countries that predicted a possible conflict with Russia in the coming years, saying that he hopes “that those who warn of the need to prepare for war with Russia still have the instinct to… Self-preservation.

Lavrov appeared to be referring to warnings from several NATO members that rising tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine could spill over into other parts of Eastern Europe. President Joe Biden has warned that if the United States cannot continue to support Ukraine's defense against a Russian invasion, Washington and the West risk being drawn into war with Moscow “directly.”

“We have neither the desire nor the need, neither militarily nor politically nor economically, to attack anyone anywhere,” Lavrov said on Wednesday, according to a Russian newspaper report. the truth.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed concerns about future conflict with the West, including after a report published by a German newspaper earlier this year. Build, Which said that according to a secret document reviewed by the newspaper, Berlin was preparing its armed forces for a future attack by Moscow. At the time, Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova likened the forecast to a “great fortune.”

The German Council on Foreign Relations also predicted in November that NATO would be ready for a major war with Russia within five to nine years. Estonia's foreign intelligence service issued a report last month setting that timetable at three to five years, adding concern that the Baltic states excluding the Western bloc – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – are considered “the most vulnerable part of NATO” by the Kremlin. .

NATO has taken steps to strengthen its defenses in recent months. Last week, the alliance announced plans for Operation Steadfast Defender 2024, NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War. The exercises will include 90,000 soldiers from the Allied forces, and will be stationed in Poland, which shares a common border with Russia. Locations for the exercises are also being identified in the Baltic states and other European allies, although NATO has not identified any specific threats that led to these exercises.

A group of Western allies also united earlier this month to purchase up to 1,000 Patriot missiles in a bid to bolster Europe's air defense systems. The $5.6 billion contract was signed by Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, among other countries.

Newsweek I reached out to NATO's press office via email for comment on Wednesday.