Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov declared on 10 November 2026 that Russia has no intention, plans, or reason to attack any European country, pushing back against what he described as a Western narrative that frames military conflict on the continent as near-inevitable. His remarks were delivered at a roundtable titled 'Militarization of Europe: What Next?', held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Ryabkov's Core Assertions

Speaking at the OSCE event, Ryabkov stated that Russia poses no threat to any nation in the near, medium, or long term, according to a release posted on the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. He added, however, that Moscow would be 'forced to respond' if subjected to aggression — a caveat that frames the pledge as conditional rather than unconditional.

Ryabkov also accused Western governments of pushing Ukraine away from negotiated settlements. He argued the Russia-Ukraine conflict could have been resolved while accounting for the legitimate interests of all parties, but that the West had steered Kyiv toward war instead of reasonable solutions.

Warning on Europe's Security Framing

Ryabkov criticised Western countries for discussing the possibility of a military conflict in Europe as if it were 'almost predetermined and inevitable,' calling the framing irresponsible. He said long-term stability in Europe cannot be achieved without taking into account the interests of Russia and its allies — a position Moscow has consistently advanced throughout the conflict period.

On the future of Russia-Europe relations, he expressed confidence that European countries would 'sooner or later' be willing to engage in dialogue with Russia on the basis of equality, indivisible security, pragmatism, and mutual consideration of interests.

NATO's 'Escalation Management' Concept Under Fire

Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, also spoke at the same event. She said European governments had offered their populations no vision of the future beyond the notion that a conflict with Russia was inevitable.

Zhdanova described NATO's concept of 'escalation management' as harmful, arguing it was a mistake to believe that an escalation between Russia and NATO could be kept under control. She said the concept effectively encourages both NATO and the European Union to act recklessly and does nothing to reduce military risks.

Context and What It Signals

The statements come amid continued military operations in Ukraine and an intensifying debate across European capitals over defence spending and collective security architecture. Notably, Moscow's public reassurances of non-aggression have been a recurring theme in Russian diplomatic messaging even as the Ukraine war continues to reshape the continent's security calculus.

Russia's engagement at the OSCE platform — a multilateral forum that includes both Russia and Western nations — signals that Moscow retains an interest in diplomatic optics, even as substantive arms-control dialogue between Russia and the West remains largely frozen. How European governments and NATO respond to these overtures will shape the trajectory of the continent's security debate in the months ahead.