Sergey Lavrov Warns: World War III Would Be 'Nuclear And Destructive'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that another World War would be “nuclear and destructive” for all parties and condemned Western sanctions on the Kremlin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine, Matthew Brown reported for USA TODAY.

Photo Insert: Ukraine returned to Russia 5,000 missiles and nuclear weapons after signing the Budapest Memorandum - among the signatories Russian President Vladimir Putin - that guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lavrov, in an interview with Al-Jazeera News, claimed Russia would face “real danger” should Ukraine acquire nuclear weapons. Ukraine has not attempted to acquire nuclear weapons and Russia has provided no evidence to support its claims to the contrary.

In fact, Ukraine returned to Russia 5,000 missiles and nuclear weapons after signing the Budapest Memorandum that guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia signed the agreement but Russian President Vladimir Putin gutted it by invading Ukraine.

Putin over the weekend ordered the Kremlin’s nuclear arsenal to be on heightened alert, a provocative step that officials in the Biden administration and NATO allies called reckless.

Military aid to Ukraine and more rounds of sanctions, however, did not waver after the escalation.

Lavrov said that while Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government had been prepared for the series of stringent economic sanctions levied at Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, they had been caught off-guard by sanctions on athletes and personnel.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic