Posted by on April 26, 2022 1:49 am
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‘The danger is serious’: Lavrov warns risk of nuclear war is ‘considerable’

Victor I. Nava April 26, 01:19 AMApril 26, 01:20 AM

Russia’s foreign minister warned on Monday that the risk of nuclear war is “considerable” and should not be underestimated, while accusing NATO of engaging in a proxy war against Russia by arming Ukraine.

In an interview with state television, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Russia has been striving to avoid a nuclear conflict since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, but he said communication with the United States has “practically ceased” and that the Ukrainian side is not negotiating for peace in good faith.

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“The risks now are considerable,” Lavrov said on the prospect of the war in Ukraine escalating to a nuclear level. “I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it.”

The foreign minister said that Russian military forces will target shipments of weapons to Ukraine provided by the West, accusing NATO of being at war with Russia.

“These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia’s military acting within the context of the special operation,” Lavrov said.

“Storage facilities in western Ukraine have been targeted more than once. How can it be otherwise?” the foreign minister added. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war.”

According to Lavrov, communication with the U.S. during the conflict has been virtually nonexistent.

“The United States has practically ceased all contacts simply because we were obliged to defend Russians in Ukraine,” Lavrov said, citing the Kremlin’s case for the invasion of Ukraine.

He also blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for prolonging the war by “pretending” to negotiate for peace, calling the former actor, in fact, a “good actor.”

“If you watch attentively and read attentively what he says, you’ll find a thousand contradictions,” Lavrov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nuclear forces to be on alert days after the invasion commenced.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is reportedly receiving several briefings per week about the possibility of Russia using its nuclear arsenal, but Pentagon officials are skeptical that Russia will follow through with its threats to use nuclear weapons.

“We took note of what Mr. Putin said in the early days of this invasion,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. “I think it’s also important to add that there hasn’t been more of that rhetoric following that initial salvo in the early days.”

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Monday that Lavrov’s talk of nuclear war is a “last hope to scare the world off supporting Ukraine.”

“Thus the talk of a ‘real’ danger of WWIII. This only means Moscow senses defeat in Ukraine,” Kuleba tweeted.

Originally appeared at Washington Examiner