Lavrov calls von der Leyen “Führer” on the sidelines of the EEF

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly called European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “Führer,” accusing her of attempting to concentrate in Brussels powers that, under EU decisions, remain with national governments.

The minister’s words are reported by RIA Novosti.

The remarks were made during a lecture session of the Russian society “Znanie” on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

“Ursula von der Leyen — we call her Führer Ursula — is trying to pull into the European Commission those competencies and powers that, by decisions of the entire EU, were not transferred to Brussels but remain with national governments,” Lavrov said.

According to the foreign minister, this tendency is very pronounced in von der Leyen.

Lavrov also recalled a statement made by the European Commission president several years ago in response to a question about the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines: according to him, von der Leyen said at the time that voters in Europe would suffer due to rising energy prices, but were “obliged to suffer so that the Ukrainian people can uphold European values.” The minister noted that no one asked the EC president exactly which values she had in mind. According to Lavrov, if a legislative ban on the Russian language in education, culture, everyday life, and the media reflects European values, that means “welcome back to Nazism for Europe.”

On August 26, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the German authorities harbor the same “rank Russophobia” as the leadership of the Third Reich toward Slavs and other nationalities in the 1930s–1940s. The statement came in response to claims by German media that Moscow had allegedly insulted Berlin by striking Boryspil during a visit to Kyiv by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

The EEF is being held from September 1 to 4 in Vladivostok. More than five thousand participants from approximately 70 countries are expected at the forum. Business delegations from India, Mongolia, Myanmar, China, Laos, and a number of other ASEAN countries are taking part. The main theme of the forum this year is “The Far East — development for the benefit of people.”

Earlier, von der Leyen announced an intensification of “pressure” on Russia by the European Union and NATO.