Moscow on Monday accused European Union member states of preparing for a “major war” against Russia during the annual UN Security Council session on EU-UN cooperation in New York.

Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s envoy to the UN Security Council, said the EU has increased defense spending by nearly 60% in an effort to strengthen Europe’s defense capability by 2030.

He said spending reached €381 billion ($488 billion) last year, placing the bloc second only to the US.

“These large-scale military preparations leave no doubt that Europe is seriously preparing for a major war against Russia,” he said.

He added that the EU is “playing with fire,” warning that Moscow would be forced to respond in kind to “anti-Russian attacks.”

“And none of the conquerors who came to us ‘with the sword’—and there are countless of them—has ever left Russia unharmed,” he said.

Nebenzya also accused the EU of continuing “to do everything” to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, saying Europe has intensified the supply of weapons and military equipment to Kyiv in violation of its own export control criteria and international obligations.

“All of the European Union’s efforts are currently focused on inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia,” he said.

He added that EU officials “reject the very idea of a diplomatic settlement and openly promote a war narrative, while simultaneously increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.”

He said those sanctions have been ineffective and have also damaged EU economies, contributing to inflation and a decline in real incomes across Europe. (AA)