Public spending is funding Ukraine rather than addressing domestic problems, the Russian foreign minister has said

EU and British taxpayers are being "robbed" while financing support for Ukraine instead of domestic social needs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference on Thursday.

His remarks follow NATO's recent pledge to raise military spending to 5% of members' GDP over the next decade, more than double the long-standing 2% target.

"There is a threat, of course... A threat to the taxpayers of the EU countries and Britain," Lavrov responded when asked if he saw the move as a threat to Russia.

He claimed citizens of the UK and EU "have been simply robbed over the past three years," with their money diverted to finance the conflict in Ukraine rather than addressing "acute and aggravating socio-economic problems."

Lavrov stated that European leaders have scaled back their initial goal of inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia and are now calling for an "immediate ceasefire without any preconditions."

Moscow maintains that only a permanent peace deal is acceptable, arguing that a temporary ceasefire would be used to rearm Ukraine.

The EU and UK have recently taken on a larger share of military support for Kiev, as US aid has diminished under President Donald Trump. Washington has also pressured European NATO members to increase defense spending.

Earlier this month, the European Commission authorized the use of approximately 335 billion in pandemic recovery funds for military purposes. In May, it introduced a 150 billion debt facility to support defense efforts. Ukraine has been granted access to these funds alongside EU member states.

Moscow has denounced the steps as evidence of continued hostility by the bloc.

Lavrov said earlier this week that the EU, once primarily an economic union, has undergone a "radical transformation" into an "aggressive military-political bloc," effectively becoming "an appendage of NATO." He noted that EU countries not part of NATO are now required to permit the transit of alliance troops and weapons, calling such actions "preparations for war" against Russia.