Talk of nuclear war inappropriate, says Lavrov

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has ruled out a nuclear conflict with the West over Ukraine.

In an interview with the Sky News Arabia TV channel, Russia’s top diplomat rejected talk of when to press the "red button" as inappropriate.

“It is not serious to say that if tomorrow you do not do what I demand of you, we will press the 'red button,” the minister was quoted as saying.

In such situations, Lavrov said, he was certain decision makers had an idea of what they were talking about. “Nobody wants a nuclear war,” he reiterated.

In the same breath, however, he warned Moscow had weapons that would have serious implications for the handlers of the Ukrainian government.

Lavrov maintained: “Russia does have such weapons. They are in full combat readiness.”

He believed Moscow and Beijing did not need to forge a military alliance. The allies were cooperating successfully in the military domain, he noted.

PAN Monitor/mud