The U.S. is "teetering" on the brink of turning into a combatant in the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.
"Today, Western states funnel weapons and military hardware into the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, and train Ukraine's armed forces. NATO and U.S. arms are used to fire at the Russian territory bordering Ukraine, killing civilians there," Lavrov told Newsweek while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
"The Pentagon does not hide the fact of passing on to Kiev intelligence and target designations for strikes. We record the presence of American mercenaries and advisers in the battlefield. The United States, in fact, is teetering on the brink of turning into a party to conflict. This is to your question about the risk of a direct collision between nuclear powers."
"Unfortunately, Washington seems to be still living in the day before yesterday, thinking in terms of unipolarity," Lavrov added.
"They cannot accept the fact that the modern world is no longer West-centered. And it will never be again. Today, strong, independent players from developing countries have emerged, and they are increasingly visible. These states and their integration associations do not want to participate in the anti-Russian 'crusade' instigated from Washington."
Lavrov received a U.S. visa to attend the event after Moscow for weeks blamed Washington, D.C., for holding up the process.
Lavrov is scheduled to have meetings with world leaders and foreign ministers, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterras. He is also expected to speak from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
Lavrov's comments came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a draft of up to 300,000 reservists for Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine, which started in February.
Putin also hinted that he would consider using nuclear weapons in the conflict.
"Russia will use all the instruments at its disposal to counter a threat against its territorial integrity — this is not a bluff," Putin said in a televised address that blamed the West for the conflict in Ukraine.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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