Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that the support of the United States, Britain and France for Ukraine raised the risk of a direct confrontation between the world's biggest nuclear powers.
Lavrov said the United States and NATO were obsessed with the idea of inflicting "strategic defeat" on Russia and there were risks in such confrontation that could lead to an increased level of nuclear danger.
"The Westerners are teetering dangerously on the brink of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences," Lavrov said.
The United States and its allies say they are helping Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression and that it is Russia that is aggravating East-West tensions.