MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) – In the face of warnings of a nuclear war, Russia has accused the West of scaremongering. “Everyone knows that a third world war can only be nuclear,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. But this question is only in the minds of Western politicians and not in those of Russia.
“I assure you that we will not allow any provocations that will make us lose our balance,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian and international media broadcast on state television. “But if (the West) starts to unleash a real war against us, those who hatch such plans should think about it, and I think they’re thinking about it.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had ordered the nuclear power’s deterrent weapons to be put on increased alert. This includes nuclear weapons.
Lavrov now emphasized: “We have a military doctrine that describes the parameters and conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.” There will be no “escalation for the sake of de-escalation,” he said. “But talk of nuclear war is now underway.” That’s up to the west. He also accused western states of “hysteria”.
The minister sharply criticized the United States in particular. “The following comparisons come to mind for me: Both Napoleon and Hitler once wanted to subjugate Europe. Now the Americans have subjugated it,” said Lavrov./bvi/DP/eas