MOSCOW (Dispatches) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said that said that the more the United States is involved in the Ukraine conflict, the higher the risk of provoking a clash between the major nuclear powers, fraught with catastrophic consequences.
“The logic of the current situation is simple: the more the U.S. is involved in supporting the Kiev regime on the battlefield, the more it becomes a party to the military confrontation with Russia, and thus risks provoking a direct armed clash between the largest nuclear powers, fraught with catastrophic consequences,” Ryabkov said.
The deputy minister drew parallels between the Cuban Missile Crisis and the current escalation of tensions between Moscow and Washington, adding that in both cases “we have to talk about the destructive for international security and strategic stability desire of Washington to gain a decisive military and strategic superiority”.
Ryabkov said that the U.S. is raising the stakes in the Ukraine conflict, believing in the ability to “remotely” control the escalation without harming itself.
The minister added that the U.S. will continue to “wage war” against Russia at the hands of Ukrainians, “who play the role of hostages and victims”.
The deputy minister expressed hope that “U.S. politicians will finally realize their responsibility for the fate of the world”, as it was demonstrated by Soviet and U.S. leaders in 1962 while working out a political and diplomatic solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
France, UK to Provide Ukraine With Air Defense Systems, Weapons

French President Emmanuel Macron stated Paris will send air defense systems, radars, missiles and weapons to Ukraine in the coming weeks to defend against missile and drone attacks, while UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace noted London will supply Kyiv with advanced air defense missiles capable of shooting down cruise projectiles.
Macron, whose comments come after Ukraine experienced a wave of Russian missile attacks, said in an interview with broadcaster France 2 on Wednesday the French supplies would specifically help defeat these kinds of threats.
He added that France would deliver the hardware and the necessary training to Ukraine.
Ukraine has specifically requested the weapons as a priority.
The French president noted that this decision followed “an unprecedented phase of bombings” that struck Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Without going into detail, Macron said France was providing military intelligence to Ukraine.
Pressed on the success of international sanctions, Macron added that they were working.
“Russia is profoundly destabilized: in its capacity to regenerate its arms, its production and industry,” he continued.
Macron also declared, “We are in a hybrid war.”
“We are not just using weapons on the ground but using weapons of information,” he said, adding that “Russia was using a wide variety of approaches to wage the conflict, including: propaganda channels, paying for influence including on social media, weaponizing migration, blackmail and hunger”.
Questioned on nuclear risks in Ukraine, the French president confirmed that France’s nuclear doctrine would not automatically commit to a retaliatory strike, if Russia used nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
The president also refused to brand Russia a “terrorist state” saying that such labels “have little consequences”.