Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused Western politicians of fixating on nuclear war. "It is clear that World War Three can only be nuclear," Lavrov said during an in an online interview.
Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: Russian foreign minister accuses West of considering 'nuclear war'
He said it's in the heads of Western politicians that the idea of a nuclear war is spinning constantly, and not in the heads of Russians. "Therefore I assure you that we will not allow any provocations to throw us off balance," Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister on Wednesday had said that the third world war "would be nuclear and destructive".
Just three days into war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered Russia's nuclear forces be put on high alert.
Putin accused the West of taking "unfriendly" steps against his country, as West mounted a series of tough financial sanctions including cutting off Moscow from Swift, used for financial transactions and payments between banks worldwide.
Russia has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons followed by the US.
