Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the West has launched a “hybrid war” against his country, the consequences of which would be felt around the world.
"The collective West has declared total hybrid war on us and it is hard to predict how long all this will last but it is clear the consequences will be felt by everyone, without exception," he said on Saturday.
Lavrov made the remarks after a meeting of Group of seven foreign ministers threatened to intensify economic pressure on Moscow.
The war, however, is doomed to fail, according to the foreign minister.
"We did everything to avoid a direct clash - but now that the challenge has been thrown down, we of course accept it. We are no strangers to sanctions: they were almost always there in one form or another,” Lavrov added.
President Putin declared a “special military operation" in neighboring Ukraine in late February.
The US and its allies have stepped up military support for Ukraine, sending an array of sophisticated weapons meant to hold off Russia's rapid advances. The operation has also drawn unprecedented sanctions from the US and its European allies.
Putin has repeatedly warned that such a flow of weapons to Kiev will prolong Russia's operation.
But diplomats from the G7 wealthy nations — Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union —said in a joint statement earlier on Saturday that they would continue their military and defense assistance for "as long as necessary.”