Russia warned that the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine could lead to World War III, accusing Kyiv of interfering in peace talks, a day after the US Secretary of Defense and secretaries of state said during their visit to Kyiv that Ukraine could repel a Russian invasion.
The war sparked a wave of Western support for Kyiv, which saw a flood of aid and weapons into Ukraine to help it counter Russian forces. Speaking to Russian news outlets, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Kyiv’s approach to obstructing peace talks, saying the risk of a third world war was “serious”. “It’s real, it’s not to be underestimated,” he added.
Stressing that Moscow will continue peace talks with Kyiv, Lavrov accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “pretending” to negotiate, adding: “He’s a good actor… If you look carefully and read carefully what he says, you you will find thousands of contradictions. Zelenskiy has been urging Western countries for months to provide him with heavy weaponry, including artillery and warplanes, stressing that his forces could turn the tide of the war if they get more weapons.
