ISTANBUL

A senior Russian diplomat said Monday that Western actions have pushed strategic stability to the “edge of an abyss,” warning of the risk of uncontrollable escalation and a direct armed conflict between Russia and NATO.

Speaking at the Moscow-based Valdai International Discussion Club, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said a series of steps taken by Western countries in late 2024 and early 2025 sharply increased tensions and ran the risk of a direct Russia–NATO confrontation.

Such a clash would mean a head-on military conflict between nuclear powers, with potentially catastrophic consequences, he warned.

Ryabkov blamed what he called the former Biden administration’s fixation on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia, claiming that this approach was supported by several European NATO members, including the UK and France.

He said these actions fueled what he called “pre-war psychosis” in Europe and led to large-scale remilitarization programs under the pretext of an alleged Russian threat.

Ryabkov rejected claims that Moscow intends to attack NATO or European Union countries.

“Russia does not pursue the aggressive goals attributed to our country,” he said, citing comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow is ready to formalize security guarantees legally.

Ryabkov also criticized what he called an “obsession” in EU capitals with the idea of a looming Russian attack, arguing that some European states are actively trying to prevent a rapprochement between Russia and the US on resolving the conflict in and around Ukraine.

He claimed that even with what he described as a more balanced US policy, the risk of a Russia–NATO clash remains due to hostile actions by European countries.

Addressing speculation about potential flashpoints such as the Suwalki Gap, along the Polish-Lithuanian border, Ryabkov dismissed talk of an imminent Russian attack as a “cheap and primitive provocation,” urging against paying heed to such narratives.