Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the West’s arming of Ukraine is jeopardizing negotiations to end the fighting. He accused NATO of waging a proxy war in Ukraine, saying it could lead to World War III.

Sergey Lavrov: “Of course, these weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia’s military acting within the context of the special operation. And the storage facilities, including those in western Ukraine, have been targeted more than once by Russian forces. How can it be otherwise, if NATO essentially engages in war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy? War means war.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also warned about the risk of a nuclear war.

Sergey Lavrov: “Really, the risks are really considerable, and I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real, and we must not underestimate it.”

The U.S. denounced Lavrov’s comments about nuclear war as the “height of irresponsibility.”

On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres met with Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. During their meeting, Putin agreed in principle to allow the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross to help evacuate civilians from a besieged steel plant in Mariupol. Guterres is meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv Thursday. We will speak to professor Alfred McCoy about the war in Ukraine later in the program.