Strengthen Nuclear Power Must Avoid Military Conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister: Escalation Becomes Uncontrolled

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Twitter/@mfa_russia)

JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday it was essential for nuclear power in the world to avoid any kind of military confrontation, even if it only involved conventional weapons.

In addition, Foreign Minister Lavrov also said the West encouraged Ukraine to continue fighting against Russia.

"It is important to avoid military clashes between nuclear forces, even with the use of conventional weapons. Escalation may become uncontrollable," Foreign Minister Lavrov said.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Lavrov pointed out Moscow will continue to enforce global security and stability.

"On Russia's initiative, President (Russia and the United States) Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden on June 16, 2021 confirmed the Gorbachev-Reagan formula: there should be no winners in the nuclear war and that should not be abandoned," Foreign Minister Lavrov said, as reported by TASS.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had issued a series of covert nuclear threats during the war in Ukraine. However, some top officials have repeatedly denied Moscow's plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and accused the West of increasing the nuclear 'bet'.

It is known that Western countries led by the United States have provided an unprecedented package of military support to Ukraine, to support its fight against Russia.

Moscow said it made NATO a party to the conflict, although both sides have stressed the importance of avoiding direct confrontation.

Ukraine is not a NATO member, but seeks to join the alliance, something that is far from prospect. Russia says Ukraine's NATO ambitions and the expansion of the alliance to the east since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 are one of the reasons behind its move to carry out an invasion on February 24.