Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a World War III warning to the U.S., saying that the West was “asking for trouble” by even considering Ukrainian requests to use supplied weapons to conduct strikes deep within Russian territory.
Discussions about using Western supplied missiles to strike Russia are tantamount to “playing with fire,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.
The U.S., despite requests from Ukraine, has remained steadfast on its position that its long-range weapons may only be used on Ukrainian soil or to defend the country from Russian cross-border attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked Western allies to approve the use of their weapons to strike targets inside Russia, insisting that doing so could turn the tide of the war.
Lavrov warned the West against entertaining Kyiv’s requests.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is pictured in Moscow on January 14, 2022. Lavrov issued a World War III warning to the U.S. on Tuesday.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images
“We have long been hearing these speculations about allowing the use of not only Storm Shadow, but also American long-range missiles. By the way, some anonymous source in Washington said that such work is being done, Ukraine’s request is being viewed in a generally positive light,” he said.
“This is blackmail, this is an attempt to pretend that the West wants to avoid excessive escalation. But in reality, this is deceit,” the foreign minister continued. “The West does not want to avoid escalation. The West…is asking for it. And it seems to me that this is already obvious to everyone.
“We are now confirming once again that playing with fire—and they are like small children playing with matches—is a very dangerous thing for grown-up uncles and aunts who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another Western country.”
He added: “Americans unequivocally associate conversations about the Third World War as something that, God forbid, if it happens, will affect Europe exclusively.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday that Washington’s policy on Ukraine’s use of American-supplied missiles had not changed.
“You’ve heard us say that the Ukrainians can use U.S. security assistance to defend themselves from cross-border attacks, in other words counterfire,” Ryder said. “But as it relates to long-range strike, deep strikes into Russia, our policy has not changed.”
He added: “We’re not seeking conflict with Russia. We are simply supporting a democratic nation who was invaded two and a half years ago and enabling them to protect themselves.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region which began on August 6 could spark World War III.
“Look at what’s happening in Ukraine. They’re surging into Russia. You’re going to have World War III,” he said in Detroit.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said many Western countries “are already up to their ears in this conflict, to put it simply, and are directly involved in this conflict.”
“Such forays, like the one in Kursk Oblast, are, of course, acts that escalate tensions to the limit,” Peskov told RBC. “Therefore, there is cause for concern. And in this case, one can treat such alarmist statements with understanding.”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on August 8 that the Kursk incursion aims to boost Kyiv’s position in potential future negotiations with Russia. He added Kyiv hopes the country’s advances will “scare” Russians and worsen their attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said Kyiv has no interest in “taking territory” in Kursk.
“The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace, the sooner Ukrainian raids on Russian territory will stop,” the spokesperson told reporters in Kyiv on August 13. “As long as Putin continues the war, he will receive such responses from Ukraine.”
On Tuesday, Zelensky told reporters that the Kursk offensive is one aspect of a victory plan, which he hopes to present to President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
