Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday night that the threat of nuclear war amid the conflict in Ukraine “should not be underestimated.” In an interview with Russian state media, the senior official said: “The danger is serious. It is real. It should not be underestimated.”
His remarks came shortly before military leaders from 40 countries met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss how to help Ukraine defend against Russian invasion.
Lavrov said NATO countries had been “adding fuel to the fire” by supporting Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid and weapons. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba responded by saying that Russia was losing and that nuclear threats were its “last hope to scare the world out of supporting Ukraine.”
“Russia loses the last hope of scaring the world not to support Ukraine. Hence the talk of a ‘real’ danger of World War III. This only means that Moscow feels defeat in Ukraine. Therefore, the world must double down on its support for Ukraine so that we can prevail and safeguard European and global security,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the meeting in Germany that his country and its allies would continue to support Ukraine. “My Ukrainian friends: We know the burden you all carry and we know it, and you should know that we all stand behind you,” he said. He added that the United States “will continue to move heaven and earth” to ensure that the Ukrainian military has the necessary tools to combat Russian forces.
The invasion has entered its third month, with Russia now focusing its military actions on eastern and southern Ukraine.
