Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a new nuclear warning during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Saturday, saying in Washington, DC that he wanted to prepare Europe for a “suicide mission.”

Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and the Kremlin have continued, as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger, as the Country has more nuclear warheads than any other country at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW). This came after Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kiev and its Western partners since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to Tass, a Russian state news agency, in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Lavrov warned Washington DC and London to prepare for a “suicidal venture”, noting the “futility and danger of the very idea of ​​fighting for victory.” with a nuclear power like Russia.”

“The declared aim was to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia – almost as London and Washington had planned in May 1945, when they developed ‘Operation Unthinkable’ to destroy the Soviet Union before the end of the Second World War. It was like that back then.” A closely guarded secret. However, today’s Anglo-Saxon strategists make no secret of their intentions. So far they assume that they will defeat Russia at the hands of the illegitimate neo-Nazi regime of Kiev, but they are already preparing Europe to embark on a suicide mission,” Lavrov said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly tried to justify its invasion by claiming that a “neo-Nazi regime” is in charge in Kiev. This was strongly rejected by Ukraine and the international community.

Lavrov added on Saturday: “Equally pointless is the mantra of Kiev’s Western masters about the lack of an alternative to talks based on the infamous peace formula.”

Putin ratcheted up his rhetoric on Wednesday with changes to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine that could include responding to a massive missile or drone launch across state borders.

According to Reuters, the 2020 nuclear doctrine states that Russia is allowed to use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.

Newsweek has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry, the U.S. Defense Department and the European Defense Agency for comment.

However, during a televised meeting of the Russian Security Council, Putin said that an attack posing a critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty could be carried out by a non-nuclear power with the participation or support of a nuclear power.

Although no countries were named, Ukraine saw increased use of American, British and French missiles against Russian targets as the war progressed.

The United States and other Western countries have provided military assistance to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia. Earlier this year, the US began supplying Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles.

Ukraine is pushing hard for the US and UK to lift their ban on the deployment of American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory, fearing that Kiev’s deployment would escalate the conflict.

Ukraine says it needs the long-range weapons to attack air bases used by Russian warplanes that fire glide bombs into Kiev, often deep inside Russian territory. Storm shadow missiles with a range of around 250 kilometers have so far only been used against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory.

But despite threats of nuclear escalation, Gustav Gressel, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Putin’s comments did not signal any changes to Russia’s nuclear posture. “It’s a bluff,” he said previously Newsweek. “If they were serious, we would all have already experienced a nuclear escalation.”

This is not the first time Lavrov has warned of a nuclear response, as last week he said in an interview with Sky News Arabia that “no one wants a nuclear war” but he warned that the country’s nuclear weapons are “in full combat readiness.” be.

“We talk about red lines and expect that our assessments and statements will be heard by intelligent, decisive people. It is not serious to say that if you don’t do what I ask of you tomorrow, we will press the red button,'” the Russian Foreign Minister said. “I am convinced that the decision-makers in such situations have an idea of ​​what we are talking about. Nobody wants a nuclear war.”

He added that Russia possesses weapons “that will have serious consequences for the Ukrainian regime’s henchmen.”