Statement by the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, that NATO and Russia could end up fighting each other if Ukraine is defeated, proved that the US they have a plan for that, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued on Friday at a diplomatic conference in Antalya.

“The point of this statement is that if Ukraine loses, NATO should fight against Russia. In a Freudian slip he (Austin) made clear what they had in mind. Before that, everyone was saying: We can’t let Ukraine lose, because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not stop there and take the Baltics, Poland, Finland. But according to Mr. Austin’s straightforward, unequivocal statement, it proves otherwise. We don’t have such plans and we can’t have them, but the Americans have them,” said the Russian minister.

According to Lavrov, Europe is currently the main victim of politics of the US “to drag Ukraine into NATO”.

“All the big costs have been transferred to Europe. People are living worse and worse, energy sources have shot up at a multiple price, compared to what they could have been if the Americans had not blown up the Nord Stream gas pipelines,” he claimed. according to TASS.

He said that the situation around Ukraine was concocted by Washington to ensure that the European Union will not become too strong as a rival to the American economy.

“And that goal was achieved. Europe is no longer competitive with the US at all. “All major businesses and manufacturing are moving to the US, where conditions are completely different and energy is much cheaper,” Lavrov said.

Austin earlier said he believed “NATO will go to war with Russia” if Ukraine is defeated. The US Secretary of Defense made the statement at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.