"Nuclear War Risks Are Now Very Real" - Lavrov

Nuclear war risks are now very real, and this danger cannot be underestimated; there are many who are willing to artificially inflate this threat. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during an interview on Russia's First Channel.

He recalled that in January, the countries of the "nuclear quintet" reaffirmed the thesis of the inadmissibility of the use of such weapons, as reported by RIA "Novosti."

"This is our principled position, and we are proceeding from this. Right now, I would not want these risks, which are indeed very significant and substantial, to be artificially exaggerated. The danger is serious, it is real, and it cannot be underestimated," the head of Russian diplomacy said.

He also expressed hope that Western countries would not send their troops to Ukraine.

"Under no circumstances should we allow a third world war. In this context, the constant provocations of Zelensky and his team, which call for NATO troops to be deployed to defend the Ukrainian government, are viewed. And everyone always says they will provide weapons, which, of course, also adds fuel to the fire. With these arms supplies, they want to force the Ukrainians to fight Russia until the last soldier, just to prolong this conflict and to ensure that Russia suffers more and more, which is their hope," Lavrov said.

At the same time, he noted that all NATO leaders exclude the involvement of the alliance in a direct confrontation with Russia, except for the leadership of Poland.