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Eliana Nunes & Gemma Ryder – Daily Record Jan 20, 2026

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders of actively “preparing for war” against Russia.

His comments, made at a press conference on Tuesday, January 20, come amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

According to state-run news agency TASS, Lavrov suggested that prominent European politicians, such as Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German politician Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, are openly gearing up for conflict with Russia.

Lavrov claimed their rhetoric and policies indicated that they are “seriously preparing for war against the Russian Federation” and that these intentions are not being concealed, reports the Mirror.

Lavrov’s remarks follow a pattern of rhetoric from the Kremlin, which often paints the West as hostile and bent on undermining Russia’s security. In his press conference, Lavrov blamed the West for the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, arguing that for years the West has worked to make Ukraine a direct threat to Russia’s security.

He described Western efforts as attempts to establish a strategic foothold on Russia’s borders and to back what he referred to as “an openly Nazi regime” that emerged in Ukraine after the 2014 Maidan protests and the subsequent removal of President Viktor Yanukovych.

The Russian minister reiterated the Kremlin’s justification for its invasion of Ukraine, framing it as a necessary act of “denazification.” Lavrov claimed that the Ukrainian government, which came to power after Yanukovych’s ousting, is illegitimate and supported by the West.

According to Lavrov, Ukraine is now pursuing a policy of eradicating everything Russian — from the Russian language to Russian culture, education, and media — and even targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which he claimed has been marginalised under the current administration.

Lavrov’s rhetoric continues a longstanding narrative from Moscow that frames the invasion of Ukraine as a defensive operation against Western influence and what it views as an increasingly hostile, anti-Russian government in Kyiv. The Kremlin has frequently used the “denazification” and “demilitarisation” of Ukraine as key talking points in its justification for the war.

In parallel with Lavrov’s comments, the European Council has recently approved a EUR 90 billion loan package to support Ukraine’s military and financial needs for 2026 and 2027. The loan, which will be funded by EU borrowing from capital markets and backed by EU budget reserves, aims to provide much-needed financial stability to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression.

However, some EU members, including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, have declined to participate in the loan agreement.

The international community remains divided over the ongoing war in Ukraine, with many Western nations providing military and economic support to Ukraine, while Russia continues to accuse them of stoking the conflict. Lavrov’s remarks add to the growing rhetoric that portrays the war not just as a regional dispute, but as a broader geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West.

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