Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov compared Europe’s tactics to those of Nazi Germany, opposing historic sanctions against Moscow and saying the term “total war” was borrowed from Hitler’s handbook.
“They have declared a real hybrid war against us, a total war,” Lavrov said at a meeting in Moscow, adding: “This term used by Nazi Germany is now used by many European politicians when they talk about what they want to do with Russia. “.
He said European officials were not hiding their goals – “to destroy, break, destroy and stifle the economy and Russia in general”.
Since President Vladimir Putin introduced troops into pro-Western Ukraine on February 24, the West has subjected Moscow to unprecedented measures, making Russia the most sanctioned country in the world.
Moscow has stated that its goal is to “demilitarize” and “denationalize” Ukraine.
The Russian president, in turn, condemned the West’s economic “blitzkrieg” and compared the sanctions to “anti-Semitic pogroms waged by the Nazis.” He also accused the West of trying to weaken Russia with the help of “national traitors.”