Russia’s Lavrov: Don’t underestimate the threat of nuclear war


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after his talks with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani in Moscow, Russia on April 7, 2022. Alexander Zemlianichenko/ Pool via REUTERS/File photo

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April 26 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West on Monday not to underestimate the heightened risks of a nuclear conflict in Ukraine, saying he considered NATO “essentially” involved in a war. indirectly with Russia by supplying weapons to kyiv. .

Lavrov, in a wide-ranging interview broadcast on state television, also said that the core of any agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine would largely depend on the military situation on the ground.

Lavrov was asked about the importance of avoiding World War III and whether the current situation was comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a low point in US-Soviet relations.

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Russia, Lavrov said, was doing a lot to uphold the principle of striving to prevent nuclear war at all costs.

“This is our key position on which we base everything. The risks now are considerable,” Lavrov said.

“I wouldn’t want to artificially raise those risks. A lot of people would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we shouldn’t underestimate it.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine two months ago, the biggest attack on a European state since 1945, has left thousands dead or injured, reduced towns and cities to rubble and forced more than 5 million people to flee abroad. read more

Moscow calls its actions a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say this is a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression by President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov, defending Moscow’s actions, also blamed Washington for the lack of dialogue.

“The United States has practically ceased all contacts simply because we were forced to defend the Russians in Ukraine,” Lavrov said, repeating the justification for Moscow’s invasion of his southern neighbor.

But he said Western supplies of sophisticated weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles and advanced drones, were provocative measures calculated to prolong the conflict rather than end it.

“These weapons will be a legitimate target for the Russian military acting in the context of the special operation,” Lavrov said.

“Storage facilities in western Ukraine have been attacked more than once (by Russian forces). How can it be otherwise?” she added. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war.”

He said the kyiv authorities were not negotiating in good faith and that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a former actor, was like British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in playing to the public instead of tackling the task at hand: negotiations.

“They are somewhat similar in their ability to play in the gallery. For example, they mimic negotiations,” Lavrov said.

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Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Ronald Popeski in Winnipeg; Written by Ronald Popeski; Edited by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.



Reference-www.reuters.com

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