KHARKIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials pleaded Tuesday for more weapons as the U.S. and other Western defense ministers met in Germany amid Russian warnings that the threat of nuclear war “should not be underestimated” if NATO nations keep arming the embattled country.
Speaking on Russian TV after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said, following a visit to Kyiv, that the U.S. wanted Russia permanently “weakened,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of escalating tensions.
“I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it,” Lavrov said. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war.”
