MOSCOW (Dispatches) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists on Friday that the actions taken by the EU and NATO essentially amount to the formation of a “new coalition” targeting Russia, comparing the steps taken by Brussels to the actions of Nazi dictator Adolf Hilter before attacking the Soviet Union.
Moscow has “no illusions” about the prospect of “Russophobic sentiments” within the EU dissipating any time soon, Lavrov said.
Russia will closely follow all the “real steps” taken by the bloc and its candidate states, he added in a probable reference to Ukraine, which was granted EU candidacy status on Thursday.
“Hitler rallied a significant part, if not most, of the European nations under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union,” the foreign minister said, adding that “now, the EU together with NATO are forming another – modern – coalition for a standoff and, ultimately, war with the Russian Federation.”
Lavrov’s remarks came just one day after he branded a proposal to assemble an international naval coalition to escort ships carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea as an attempt to interfere in the region under the auspices of the UN.

EU Leaders Grant Ukraine, Moldova EU Candidate Status

European Union leaders have accepted Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership of the bloc, European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday.
“Agreement. #EUCO has just decided EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. A historic moment,” Michel announced on Twitter. EUCO is short for the European Council, which is currently being attended by EU leaders in Brussels.
The heads of state and government of the EU member states approved the European Commission’s recommendation at the start of their two-day summit in Brussels from Thursday to Friday.
Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the conflict with Russia began in the end of February.
The country handed its application on Feb 28. Moldova applied for EU membership on March 3.

U.S. to Send $450mn Security Aid to Ukraine

The Joe Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to send a $450 million shipment of military assistance to Ukraine to fight the Russians, including four additional advanced rocket systems.
John Kirby, who serves as National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, announced the new aid package from the White House podium Thursday afternoon, saying it would bring the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February to $6.1 billion, The Hill reported.