MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the threat of nuclear war is serious and should not be overlooked. He said this in an interview with Russia's Channel One TV on Monday.
Lavrov reaffirmed that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council made a declaration in January on the inadmissibility of a nuclear war. "This is our principled attitude, and we are guided by it," the Foreign Minister stated. "Of course, I would not like to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are quite real," he added, noting that many people desire to do so. "The threat is genuine, and it should not be underestimated," Lavrov added.
He stated that during the administration of former US President Donald Trump, Russia requested confirmation of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan, the Soviet Union's and America's leaders at the time, declaring that "a nuclear war was inadmissible" in 1987.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to persuade our colleagues of the need of this decision," the Minister said. "However, we swiftly agreed with the administration of (US President Joe) Biden, and our Presidents made this declaration during the Geneva summit last June."
According to the BBC, Lavrov also accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of "pretending" to negotiate in the interview, calling him "a terrific actor." "If you pay attention to what he says and monitor what he says, you'll notice a thousand contradictions." He also claimed that the NATO alliance was "in essence involved in war with Russia" since it had given weaponry to Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia's battle.
"These weapons will be a valid target for Russian military forces engaged in a special operation. NATO is, in effect, fighting Russia through a proximate and arming that proximate. War means war." He said.
Blinken and Lloyd Austin meet Zelensky in Kiev
Ukraine will leave negotiations with Russia, if Mariupol forces killed: Zelensky
Ukraine's negotiations with security guarantor countries to complete within this week