Russia: The West may ignite a nuclear war over Ukraine

Russia declared today at the United Nations that the conflict in Ukraine does not justify Russia's use of nuclear weapons, but that Moscow may decide to use its nuclear arsenal in response to "direct aggression" by NATO countries.

At a conference on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, Russian diplomat Alexander Trofimov rejected speculation that Russia was threatening to use nuclear weapons, especially in Ukraine, saying they were "absolutely unfounded, divorced from reality and unacceptable."

Within days of Russia's war on Ukraine on February 24, Putin put Russia's deterrent forces - which include nuclear weapons - on high alert, citing what he described as aggressive statements by NATO leaders and Western economic sanctions on Moscow.

Trofimov, a senior diplomat in the Russian Foreign Ministry's Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, said Moscow would only use nuclear weapons in response to weapons of mass destruction or an attack with conventional weapons that threaten the existence of the Russian state.

"None of these two hypothetical possibilities is relevant to the situation in Ukraine," Trofimov told the United Nations Conference to Review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

But he accused NATO countries of entering into a "fierce confrontation" with Russia, saying that it is now on the brink of an open military clash.

He continued, "Such a move could trigger one of the two possibilities of emergency described in our military doctrine... Obviously we are working to prevent this, but if Western countries try to test our resolve, Russia will not back down."

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