Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused leaders in the United States and other Western nations of being driven by "Epstein instincts," while warning about the implications of a potential nuclear confrontation in the war in Ukraine.

"Their instincts are mostly Epstein-like, as I understand it, in that society," Lavrov said in an interview that aired Sunday on a weekly state television program, invoking the scandal surrounding late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Moscow Times reported.

"But instincts that concern the fate of their own states and caring for their own people have clearly been degraded in recent years," added Lavrov.

His remarks come after the Kremlin's warnings in connection with claims by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service that the United Kingdom and France were secretly discussing plans to provide Ukraine with a nuclear weapon.

The claim has not been substantiated by Western officials, and the Kremlin has called the allegations "absolutely crazy."

Lavrov was asked if Western leaders had "lost all instincts of self-preservation" contemplating that move.

Meanwhile, Russia's pro-war military bloggers have called the United States and Israel the "Epstein coalition" after the weekend strikes on Iran, implying that the conflict was staged to distract attention from the ongoing Epstein investigations.

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