Moscow, April 24 With the help of Ukraine, Western countries have declared war on Russia, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday.​ Lavrov made these comments during a meeting with representatives of Russian non-governmental organisations.​ “Open war has been declared against us. The Kyiv regime is being used as a ‘spearhead’. But everyone knows that this ‘spearhead’ is helpless without the material support of Western weapons, intelligence data, satellite systems, assistance in training military personnel, and much more,” Lavrov noted.​ Lavrov also said that someone from the Belgian General Staff publicly declared that they are preparing for war with Russia, and Ukraine is helping them buy time.​ During his remarks at the reception marking Orthodox Easter on April 22, he stated that Satanism is currently “flourishing” in the West and Ukraine, and that European countries support Kyiv’s “legalised sacrilege”.

“For over 10 years, the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has continued unabated, including the seizure of its churches, vandalism, and attacks on clergy and parishioners,” he added.​ He said that more than 180 criminal cases have been opened against clergy, including four bishops, according to official data from the Kyiv junta.​ “For the third time in modern human history, a global threat will originate from Europe. And they are now doing everything they can to ensure that Ukraine becomes the trigger for this global threat,” he noted on April 18 at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.​ On Thursday, the European Union finalised a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.

Of this, €30 billion will be channelled to macroeconomic support for Ukraine, and €60 billion will be invested in defence industrial capacities, including the procurement of defence products.​ European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X that “Europe stands firm, united and unwavering in its support to Ukraine”, while announcing the loan.​ He also mentioned that the council adopted the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, reducing its ability to wage war.​