Lavrov says West needs continual reminder of risks of nuclear war

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that possession of nuclear weapons protects Russia from security threats and that Moscow continually reminded the West of the risk of a nuclear conflict.

Lavrov’s comments are the latest reference by Russian officials to their country’s nuclear weapons arsenal, a rhetoric of military escalation by Moscow that has gained tempo and frequency since Russian spop in Ukraine. 

Russia remains fully committed to the principle that nuclear war is unacceptable and believes that there can be no winners in such a conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.

"I would like to point out that our country is fully committed to the principle that nuclear war is unacceptable and proceeds from the fact that there can be no winners in such a war. Accordingly, it must never be unleashed," he stressed.