Russia Condemns the 'Direct Collision' with the West Over Military Assistance to Ukraine

Russia warned the West's military aid to Ukraine risks triggering a catastrophic direct clash between nuclear powers, accusing the U.S., Britain and France of recklessly pursuing Russia's "strategic defeat."

Moscow, Russia: Russia has issued a blunt statement, asserting that the U.S., Britain, and France's military support for Ukraine has brought the world dangerously close to the abyss of direct armed conflict between nuclear powers, a scenario that could culminate in catastrophe.

During his speech at a non-proliferation conference in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of pursuing an unbalanced agenda aimed at "strategically defeating Russia" through military aid to Ukraine. He argued that such actions could inevitably provoke the U.S., Britain, or France into direct military confrontation with Russia.

"The Western powers are teetering on the brink of direct confrontation between two nuclear powers, an eventuality with apocalyptic consequences," Lavrov remarked. He emphasized that a significant issue lies in the fact that the Western nuclear states of the 'troika' are among the principal backers of the Kyiv regime, which is the primary instigator of various provocative measures.

Lavrov's sharp rhetoric reflects the frosty relations between Russia and the West since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, marking the most severe crisis in their relations since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Russia has repeatedly warned about heightened nuclear risks during the conflict, while the U.S. maintains it has not observed any changes in Russia's nuclear posture.

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Furthermore, the Russian minister accused the West of propagating narratives aimed at undermining Russia and achieving military superiority over both Russia and China through the development of more sophisticated non-nuclear capabilities, such as missile defenses. He argued that such efforts were counterproductive to disarmament talks with the U.S.

Western leaders have pledged support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russian forces but have ruled out deploying troops to the conflict. The escalating tensions have led to the erosion of arms control agreements that previously helped regulate the nuclear arms race during the Cold War era.