If Europe attacks Russia, war will be 'completely different and very short': Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that if Europe attacks Russia, the resulting war would be "completely different" and "very short."

Speaking at the International Youth Festival in the city of Yekaterinburg, Lavrov said Russian officials had repeatedly stated that Moscow had no intention of attacking Europe and "no interest in doing so."

"Russia has repeatedly said that we are not going to attack Western countries and have no interest in doing so. But if Europe, which speaks regularly about preparing for war against Russia, attacks the Russian Federation, then this will be a completely different war, and it will be very short," he stressed.

Lavrov noted that confrontation was not Russia's method, a position that had been repeatedly stated by the Russian leadership, including President Vladimir Putin personally.

"The West made a choice long ago in favor of containing Russia," he said, citing what he described as NATO's "forceful" expansion toward Russia's borders.

The minister also criticized statements by European leaders about the need to prepare for a war with Russia, saying the issue had become a major theme among current European political leaders in Brussels.