Russia has to send 'sobering signals' to West about risks of nuclear war: Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow has to repeatedly send “sobering signals” to the West in order to prevent a direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers.
Speaking to Russian official news magazine, The International Affairs, Lavrov warned that the United States and its NATO allies risk ending up in “a situation of direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers.”
“We believe such a development should be prevented. That’s why we have to remind [ourselves] about the existence of high military and political risks and send sobering signals to our opponents.”
Lavrov further said that having nuclear weapons defends Russia from external security dangers.
“The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of the significant external threats to the security of our country,” he added.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the US and its NATO allies about the risk of a nuclear confrontation.
The US and NATO countries provide the majority of Ukraine's military assistance since Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February last year.
Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow would have to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces proved successful.
Medvedev was speaking about the counteroffensive Kiev launched in early June, hoping to push south toward the Crimean Peninsula by the end of the year.
In a report, the Washington Post said a US intelligence assessment found that the counteroffensive will stall before reaching the key southeastern city of Melitopol.
Medvedev, a key aide to President Vladimir Putin and deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, also urged an immediate halt to the Western supply of heavy weaponry to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden formerly described the possibility of Russia utilizing tactical nuclear weapons as "real."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg however said this week, “The Western military alliance has not detected any changes to Russia’s nuclear force stance, and therefore, NATO did not need to reciprocate in its nuclear posture.”
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