Ukrainian soldiers guarding the Donbass road▶ Click here for a larger view
The UK’s undersecretary for defense has downgraded Russia’s foreign minister’s remarks that the dangers of using nuclear weapons were real.
British Undersecretary of Defense James Hippie said in an interview with the BBC and Sky News on the 26th (local time) that he did not believe the danger was imminent.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state broadcaster Channel 1, “The current risk of nuclear war is real and very serious. It should not be underestimated.”
Lavrov also spoke regarding the dangers of World War III.
Hippie, however, sarcastically argued that this bluff was his ‘trademark’ during Lavrov’s 15-year tenure.
He also said that the question regarding the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons is very small.
Hippie also said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) did not provide military aid to Ukraine. Countries have applied under bilateral relations with Ukraine, and gatherings of these countries cross NATO borders, he said.
Lavrov said the Western arms aid to Ukraine was “in fact, NATO’s participation in the war with Russia”. “These weapons will become legitimate targets of attack by the Russian military,” he said.
Hippie, on the other hand, said it was completely legal for Ukraine to attack Russian territory to cut off Russian supply lines. Otherwise, it will be used to attack Ukraine.
He also said that it was not inevitable for Russia to seize territory in the Donbass region.
He added that the situation was different with Kiiu, citing the fact that Mariupol’s soldiers continued to fight once morest Russia.
Meanwhile, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a parliamentary session on the previous day that it was estimated that 15,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the nine weeks following the invasion of Ukraine.
More than 2,000 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed or seized, he added.
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