- Russia’s Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that the specter of nuclear battle over the Ukraine conflict is “critical.”
- He mentioned NATO’s supplying of heavy weapons to Ukraine means it’s “in essence” already in a proxy conflict with Russia.
- Nonetheless, the Ukrainian Overseas Minister mentioned Lavrov’s warning is to “scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”
Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West on Monday to not underestimate the “critical” and “actual” dangers of a 3rd world conflict by getting concerned within the conflict in Ukraine.
Throughout a state tv broadcast, Lavrov was requested in regards to the significance of avoiding World Conflict III and if US-Russia tensions may very well be in comparison with the 1962 Cuban missile disaster, in accordance with Reuters.
“I might not need to elevate these dangers artificially. Many would really like that. The hazard is critical, actual. And we should not underestimate it,” Lavrov replied, the outlet reported.
Nonetheless, he additionally portrayed Russia as a nation striving to cut back any threat of nuclear conflict, per Reuters.
In distinction, Lavrov mentioned the North Atlantic Treaty Group had “in essence engaged in conflict” with Russia by supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine, The BBC reported.
Responding to Lavrov’s feedback, Ukraine’s Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted they had been a bluff to “scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”
“Thus the discuss of a ‘actual’ hazard of WWIII. This solely means Moscow senses defeat in Ukraine,” wrote Kuleba.
Lavrov has beforehand issued veiled warnings about nuclear conflict in mild of the invasion of Ukraine.
In early March, two weeks after President Vladimir Putin positioned Russia’s nuclear forces on excessive alert, Lavrov mentioned that if World Conflict III had been to happen, it could contain nuclear weapons.
He later downplayed the opportunity of the conflict in Ukraine escalating to nuclear conflict however accused the US and NATO of regularly citing the subject.
Whereas the US and UK are actually sending superior weapons and artillery to Ukraine, there seems to have been no official change in Russia’s nuclear posture since February.
Lavrov has been described as a propaganda mouthpiece for Putin. He claimed in March that Russia “didn’t assault Ukraine” and justified a Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol by saying that the ability had been taken over by a Ukrainian neo-Nazi militia battalion.
