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Rabat – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has again escalated the threat of nuclear war against western countries, saying that they need to be “continually reminded” of the risk of nuclear conflict.
Lavrov said that Moscow needs to be in possession of nuclear arms to protect itself from security threats, continuing a pattern of escalation that has been seen since the Ukraine invasion in early 2022.
“The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of the significant external threats to the security of our country,” Lavrov said in an interview published on the foreign ministry’s website.
Russia’s top diplomat said that the US and NATO allies risk escalating into a “direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers.”
“We believe such a development should be prevented,” he added. “That’s why we have to remind about the existence of high military and political risks and send sobering signals to our opponents.”
Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the country could resort to using nuclear arms if Ukraine’s counter-offensive succeeded.
Read also: Could The War in Ukraine Go Nuclear?
Earlier this year, Russia accused the US of hypocrisy regarding comments made about Moscow’s deployment of nuclear arms in Belarus.
Joe Biden had described the deployment as an “extremely negative” development, a comment which Russia deemed hypocritical, calling for “introspection” in the US.
“We would like to emphasize that it is the sovereign right of Russia and Belarus to ensure their security by means we deem necessary amid a large-scale hybrid war unleashed by Washington against us,” the Russian Embassy in the US said in a recent statement.
Russia possesses more nuclear arms than any other country in the world, a fact which Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been shy to point out, as he has warned that Moscow will “not rule out” any means to defend itself.
