Russia says the West is fighting 'proxy war'

Lavrov warns military support for Ukraine carries 'considerable' risk

Russia has claimed Western nations' support of Ukraine because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict amounts to NATO fighting a proxy war against it.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian state media the West's provision of military equipment to Ukraine as part of that support is something that carries "considerable" risk.

"NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy," he said. "War means war."

He also said there is now a very real risk that the conflict could escalate into a nuclear war.

"I would not want to elevate those risks artificially," he said. "Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it."

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Moscow's suggestion that the West's support of Kyiv could trigger a nuclear war was Russia's "last hope to scare the world off supporting Ukraine".

Sky News reported on Tuesday the United Kingdom's armed forces minister, James Heappey, responded to Lavrov's claims by insisting NATO is not donating arms to Ukraine, but that individual nations are choosing to do so.

The row flared ahead of a gathering of Western defense ministers in Germany on Tuesday, for talks organized by the United States and hosted by its defense secretary, Lloyd Austin. The session was aimed at finding ways in which Western nations can increase their useful support for Kyiv.

The gathering, at the Ramstein airbase southwest of Frankfurt, was believed to have been attended by representatives from 40 nations, as well as NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.

The UK's defense minister, Ben Wallace, told lawmakers in London on Monday that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has not been going well for Moscow, which he said has lost around 15,000 combatants since its military entered Ukraine on Feb 24.

Wallace said UK intelligence specialists believe Russia has also lost around 2,000 armored vehicles, 530 tanks, and at least 60 helicopters and jets.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, traveled to Russia on Tuesday to lobby Moscow to allow the 100,000 civilians trapped in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol to leave with their lives.

Guterres said as he arrived that everything possible must be done to end the conflict and that he will work on creating the right conditions for progress.

"We are extremely interested in finding ways in order to create the conditions for effective dialogue, create the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible, create the conditions for a peaceful solution," he said.