Response to threats to disrupt Victory Day, reaction to Merz's words: Lavrov's statements

russian news agencyRUSearchSectionsCloseEconomySportsCulture CloseRussian Politics & DiplomacyRussian Politics & DiplomacyInto section →FOREIGN POLICYDOMESTIC POLICYWorldWorldInto section →Business & EconomyBusiness & EconomyInto section →Oil & gas industryInternet & TelecomTrade & CooperationTransportMilitary & DefenseMilitary & DefenseInto section →Science & SpaceScience & SpaceInto section →Emergencies Emergencies Into section →Society & CultureSociety & CultureInto section →Press ReviewPress ReviewInto section →SportsSportsInto section →Special projectsTASSAgencyTASS todayHistoryManagementContactsProjects & ServicesTASS-PHOTONEWS TERMINALPersonal data processing policy TASSPress ReleasesPrivacy Policy​ tass.comTerms of useANTI-CorruptionSubscribeSocial MediaTelegramSubscriptionsRSSAdvertisingContacts{{dayPoint.date | date : 'd MMMM yyyy'}}{{newsPoint.date * 1000 | date : 'HH:mm'}} {{newsPoint.mark}}{{newsPoint.title}}{{newsPoint.title+ ' '}}{{newsPoint.subtitle}}All newsResponse to threats to disrupt Victory Day, reaction to Merz's words: Lavrov's statements Russia will respond without hesitation if the Nazis attempt to carry out their threats and disrupt the Victory Day celebrations, the Russian foreign minister indicated© Alexander Shcherbak/TASSMOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow would respond without mercy if the Nazis attempted to carry out their threats and disrupt the Victory Day celebrations. During a wreath-laying ceremony at the Foreign Ministry building's memorial plaques, he also noted that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statements about wanting to make the German army the strongest in Europe again are particularly astonishing. TASS has compiled the top diplomat’s key statements. The fight against Nazism is important because there are calls in Europe "to repeat Hitler’s experiment": "Beyond the ideological aspect, the fight against Nazism is of critical importance in today's conditions. Many in Europe openly call for a repeat of Hitler's regime and prepare to attack our country, declaring their goal to be a strategic defeat." Nazism will be defeated no matter what form it takes: "I know that, even in countries with unfavorable conditions, events are held, such as the Immortal Regiment and other events, which annually remind the host countries of our diplomats that this feat will never fade from our memory. Nazism, in whatever form it may resurface, will be defeated." In the West, Nazism is rearing its head once again: "Now, as we commemorate the sacred feat of victory over Nazism, Nazism is rearing its head once again. Not only is it rearing its head ideologically, but there are also growing attempts to rewrite history and the outcome of World War II. The goal is to reshape the world order so that the West can continue to exploit everyone else and live at the expense of others, just as in colonial times. This is quite clearly evident in the actions of the current leaders of the Western elites." Beyond the ideological aspect, the fight against Nazism in today’s conditions also takes on a purely practical significance, "given that many in Europe are openly calling for a repeat of the experience of Hitler and his henchmen and preparing another attack on Russia with the openly declared goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on it." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statements about his desire to once again make the German army the strongest in Europe are particularly astonishing: "What Germany is doing is astonishing. Since taking office, Chancellor Merz has repeatedly declared that one of his main goals is to ensure that the German army becomes the strongest in Europe, regardless of any poll numbers." "Not only Russia, but also many of Germany’s neighbors have begun to question the direction of Euro-Atlantic and European integration, led by bureaucrats entrenched in Brussels who actively encourage such revanchist sentiments both in Germany and elsewhere in the Euro-Atlantic region." Russia will respond without hesitation if the Nazis attempt to carry out their threats and disrupt the Victory Day celebrations: "I want to say this with complete candor and full responsibility: if the Nazis, who are resurging in the West through Ukraine, continue what they are doing now, there will be no mercy for them." "With each passing day, those who have turned [Vladimir] Zelensky into a direct instrument, the spearhead of the aggression that the West is plotting against our country: an aggression that, in essence, has already begun, as they arm this Nazi regime in Kiev and supply it with the most lethal weapons, saying, ‘Let’s just hit Russia as hard as we can’." Any threats to Russia’s security emanating from Ukraine must be eliminated: "It is no coincidence that one of the goals of the special military operation is the denazification of Ukraine, which fell under a Nazi regime following the 2014 coup d’etat orchestrated by the West. The president has repeatedly emphasized that among other goals, we must eliminate any threats to our security emanating from Ukrainian territory."